FSU football: Impact of Treshaun Ward entering the transfer portal
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football lost one of their most likable players Tuesday evening when running back Treshaun Ward entered his name into the transfer portal.
It wasn’t a total shock with the emergence of Trey Benson when Ward went down with an injury mid-season. FSU is stacked at the position, and questions regarding where all the carries would go were legitimate even though FSU ran the ball 57 percent of the time this season.
Ward came to FSU as a walk-on under Willie Taggart’s staff and earned a scholarship last season under Mike Norvell. He rushed for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging well over six yards per carry in the last two seasons.
Ward is a patient running back in Mike Norvell’s offense, with great vision and the ability to make people miss in tight spaces.
Would like to thank @9mxvi_ for the incredible impact he has made here at FSU and the #NoleFamily From walk on to a Star, I’m grateful for every moment. Has a wonderful future in front of him and I know he will continue to #WORK #KeepCLIMBing 🤝
— Mike Norvell (@Coach_Norvell) January 3, 2023
When your coach says that about you? You know he hates to see Ward leave the program but understands the circumstances.
The only thing lacking was elite breakaway speed when he got to the second level of a defense. Whoever picks up Ward from the transfer portal is getting a gem.
How does this impact FSU football?
No question FSU will miss his leadership and experience in the offense. Trey Benson carried the load well in his absence in the second half of the season. However, Benson still resorts to old habits that can be remedied ineffective.
That’s not to say there are no more options. There’s still Lawrence Toafili as the do it all back, especially in the passing game.
Plus, Rodney Hill and Penn State transfer and former blue-chip running back Caziah Holmes, who led the FSU Scout team while sitting out after transferring this season. CJ Campbell and freshman Samuel Singleton will be in that running back room.
The biggest question will be if Holmes can replace Ward’s production since that’s the addition that likely made this move happen. If healthy, Holmes could be another Trey Benson, but maybe faster.
Holmes ran 10.7 100s while in high school, and we saw how fast Benson was after a devastating knee injury before transferring to FSU.
Rodney Hill should get some opportunities and showed flashes in year one. The offensive line should be better, and FSU’s passing game should be better with all the weapons they’ll have. Ward will be missed, but there shouldn’t be any drop-off in the running game as long as these guys remain healthy.
I wish Treshaun Ward nothing but the best, and hopefully, he finds a home where he’s the No. 1 back in a program that’s in position to win games in 2023.