Boom!!! FSU lands Vanderbilt offensive lineman from the transfer portal

Should be in the mix for a starting role.

Mike Norvell, Herb Hand, and the Florida State Seminoles are in urgent need of experience and talent on the offensive line as they prepare for the 2025 season. They’ve just bolstered their roster by securing the commitment of a highly sought-after transfer from Vanderbilt.

Gunnar Hansen is a 6’5″, 330-pound lineman hailing from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Over three seasons, he has accumulated 37 career starts, playing center, left tackle, and left guard for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Following Vanderbilt’s impressive upset victory over Alabama, Hansen received the Week 6 SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week award and was named the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week for his outstanding performance.

In 2024, Hansen achieved his highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades, earning a score of 56.4 overall (61.6 for pass blocking and 57.8 for run blocking). While he primarily played left tackle, Coach Herb Hand may consider moving him to guard based on additional acquisitions by FSU. Competing in the ACC could lead to even better PFF ratings for him.

Hansen chose FSU over Oregon, Colorado, Kentucky, and other schools. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

From his Vanderbilt biography:

As a Senior (2024):

• Honored as the Week 6 SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week and Outland Trophy National Player of the Week for his role in Vanderbilt’s win over Alabama.
• Recorded the team’s top overall and pass block grades (PFF) in the win against Alabama, allowing no sacks or hits on the quarterback in the offense’s 40-point performance, the best for Vanderbilt in an SEC game since 2018.

As a Junior (2023):

• Started all 12 games, logging 779 snaps mainly at left tackle.
• Achieved a PFF pass block grade of 83.3 during the victory over Hawai’i.

As a Sophomore (2022):

• Earned a spot on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.
• Played and started in 11 games with 640 snaps total.
• Transitioned from left tackle (363 snaps) to left guard (277 snaps) for the last four games.
• Posted a PFF pass block grade of at least 74 in each of the final four games, with a high of 85.9 against Elon.
• Allowed just two sacks throughout the season, with only three penalties.

As a Freshman (2021):

• Did not see any game action.

The Hansen File:

• Lettered his senior year at St. Thomas Aquinas under coach Roger Harriott.
• As a junior, lettered at American Heritage School under Nicholas Martinez.
• Recognized as a consensus three-star prospect by ESPN, 247Sports, and Rivals.
• In 2019, named to the South Florida Sun Sentinel Palm Beach 5A, 1A first team offense and the Palm Beach Post Small Schools first team offense.
• Earned second team all-state recognition from FloridaHSFootball.com in 2019.
• Selected as a two-time Sun Sentinel first-team all-county player.
• Transferred to the successful St. Thomas Aquinas, which won the 2019 FHSAA Class 7A state title.
• Helped lead the Raiders to an 8-1 record in 2020 and the FHSAA Class 7A state championship.
• Contributed to St. Thomas Aquinas’ 12th state championship win, the most by any high school in Florida.
• Registered 27 pancake blocks and allowed only three sacks while blocking for three different quarterbacks at American Heritage.
• Joined former teammates Tyson Russell and Quincy Skinner Jr. at Vanderbilt.
• Son of Jill and Todd Hansen, and has one older sister, Aliza.
• Majoring in human and organizational development.