CAREER: Has seen action in 26 games as a Gator, including 16 starts…Has reeled in 43 catches for 532 yards (12.4 average), with a 55-yard career-long catch and seven touchdowns.

 

HONORS: 2007 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll…Honorable Mention Freshman All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com.

 

2008:Saw action in 13 of Florida’s games in 2008…securing 11 starts…Caught 34 passes for 381 yards, an 11.2 average, and five touchdowns…Led the Gators in receiving against Oklahoma in the 2009 FedEx BCS National Championship, reeling in five catches for 57 yards…Also played a key role in Florida’s eighth SEC title with three catches for 43 yards against then undefeated Alabama…Finished the season ranked first in the SEC for touchdowns by a tight end (5)…Set a career high with two receiving touchdowns on four catches for a career-high 61 yards against Florida State…Made an acrobatic, one-handed catch against South Carolina on a five-yard TD pass from Tim Tebow, finishing third in receiving for the game with two touches for 26 yards (13.0 average)…Tied a career high for the third time against Tennessee with a receiving touchdown that opened the scoring from Tebow for Florida…Had a career-best game against Miami, reeling in a career-high five receptions for 58 yards and one score.

 

2007: Appeared in all 13 games during the season, receiving the starting nod in three contests against Troy, Florida State and Michigan…Finished his rookie season with nine receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns…Averaged 16.8 yards per catch, ranking second on the team behind Riley Cooper (22.8)…Reeled in a career long 55-yard reception against South Carolina…Caught the first touchdown of his career against Kentucky, a one-yard strike, with 14 seconds before halftime…Had a season-high three receptions on two occasions, against Florida Atlantic and against Michigan in the Capital One Bowl…Posted season-best numbers in receiving yards against Florida Atlantic with 58 yards, including his second touchdown of the year in the third quarter, a 13-yard connection…Saw extensive action in his UF debut against Western Kentucky…Became the first true freshman to start at tight end since Tate Casey in 2004 when he lined up on the opening snap in a goal-line package against Troy.

 

PREP: Rated the No. 1 recruit at the tight end position by both Scout.com and Rivals.com…Earned a spot to play on the East team in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after collecting 67 receptions for 1,807 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior…Also recorded 72 tackles, including 42 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four blocked kicks as a member of the defense…Helped lead Bristol Central to the 2006 Central Connecticut Conference Southern Division Championship…Set Connecticut state records for receiving yards (1,807) and TDs (24) in a season…Set a state record for most receiving yards in a game with 376 on nine catches, which rated as the seventh-best game total in national high school history…Established a national high school record for yards receiving per game (180.7)…Tied a state record for career TD receptions with 31…Was named the 2006-07 Gatorade Football Player of the Year for the state of Connecticut and the Hartford Courant Player of the Year…Also earned first-team all-state honors…Earned all-conference honors in both senior and junior seasons…Selected Florida over Connecticut and Iowa…High school football coach was Doug Pina…Lettered in basketball.

 

PERSONAL: Born Nov. 6, 1989…Parents are Terri and the late Dennis Hernandez…Enrolled in classes at UF in Jan. 2007.

 

MAJOR: Social & Behavioral Sciences.

 

CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

Year    No.    Yds    Avg.   TDs Long

2007     9     151   16.8      2      55

2008    34    381   11.2      5      38

Totals: 43    532   12.4     7      55

 

HERNANDEZ’S CAREER HIGHS

Receptions: 5 (2x, last vs. Oklahoma, 2008)

Receiving Yards: 61 (FSU, 2008)

Receiving TD: 2 (FSU, 2008)

Longest Reception: 55 (South Carolina, 2007)

Rushing Attempts: None

Rushing Yards: None

Rushing TDs: None

Longest Rush: None