FSU football: The TE position changing under Mike Norvell

2023 will be a new era for tight ends for the FSU football team. Coach Norvell secured a dynamic playmaker in former South Carolina TE Jaheim Bell.

Florida State has not had a player at a position like this since I can remember. Bell can be split wide, play an H-Back role, or go tight in the formation.

This facet will make it difficult for opposing defenses to key on him. If you look at his 2022 stats at South Carolina, his receiving numbers don’t impress you, but the rushing attempts surprise.

Think about it a TE had 73 rush attempts. That shows how versatile he is, and the Gamecocks tried to move him all around to get him the ball. Will FSU do the same?

TE Jaheim Bell

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference

Let’s not forget the staff also went and got TE Kyle Morlock from Shorter University, he was a sought-after player in the transfer portal. Kyle is massive at 6’7″ tall and 245 lbs. He uses his body well, has big strong hands, and can block. Morlock had 30 rec for 446 yards and six touchdowns and was also named first-team All-GSC in 2022.

The Possibilities on Offense

Let’s look at what a potential two TE formation could look like with these two playmakers at tight end.

QB – Jordan Travis

RB – Trey Benson

WR – Johnny Wilson

WR – Kentron Poitier

TE – Jaheim Bell

TE – Kyle Morlock

You would have two targets at 6’7″ in Wilson and Morlock, Wilson is a handful for any cornerback on the outside, and Morlock on a seam route up the middle would be a nightmare for a defense. Then if you have Bell working underneath and Poitier on the other side, Jordan Travis has to be in heaven right now. Having Wilson and Morlock as red-zone targets, Travis can put the ball up and let these guys go up and make plays.

With all the weapons in the passing game that will set up the run and allow Benson to flourish, I think he gets around 1200 yards rushing this season.

There are so many possibilities for Coach Norvell and this offense, plus you throw in guys like Destyn Hill, Winston Wright, Hykeem Williams, and many more. This offense looks like it can take over any game and score at will. We haven’t seen a potential offense this exciting in a long while. The question is, will we see it play out like this? Let’s hope so!

TE Recruiting

After landing Bell and Morlock, Norvell and his staff have made waves in flipping UGA TE Commit Landon Thomas, the No. 1 tight end in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

The team is not done there, as TE Kylan Fox is nearing a decision and playing with his friend Thomas is a real possibility.

Fox grew up less than 2 hours from FSU football and is very familiar with what FSU has to offer him. Bringing in Thomas and Fox would keep the tight end train rolling strong into the future with two tremendous athletes.