Gavin Blackwell was one of the most noteworthy players that came to Tallahassee this offseason via the transfer portal. The 6-foot, 185-pound graduate transfer was one of the top wide receivers to come out of his recruiting class, but he could never build off a solid redshirt freshman season at North Carolina and was eventually passed over on the depth chart after dealing with several injuries.
Blackwell met the local media earlier this week and talked about several things, including his time with the Tar Heels. When the subject of current North Carolina coach Bill Belichick was brought up, Blackwell had nothing but positive things to say about the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach.
A quote from an FSU transfer talking about his former head coach that will NOT go viral.
— Ira Schoffel (@IraSchoffel) June 27, 2025
I was impressed by everything about Gavin Blackwell’s interview this week. But his comments about UNC head coach Bill Belichick were really top notch. pic.twitter.com/PAyGGSfABP
Blackwell went on to defend Belichick, who has been the subject of much media scrutiny surrounding his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. "The thing that you see online and stuff like that," Blackwell said. "I would kind of say the media kind of portrays it a little bit differently than what it is inside the building. He loves his players, he loves his coaches, and he's all about ball."
Gavin Blackwell hopes FSU's offense will be a perfect fit for him
As one of the most experienced and oldest players on the roster, Blackwell joked that his new teammates are calling him 'unc', short for uncle, but he is embracing the opportunity to be a mentor to the younger players and excelling in an offense that he feels comfortable in.
When Chip Lindsey took over as offensive coordinator at North Carolina in 2023, he brought over a lot of concepts that he and current FSU offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn used when they worked together at Auburn.
"It's an explosive offense, a big-play offense, that can run the ball also, not just throwing the ball," Blackwell said. "I just see myself coming in here and making plays. Like I said, it's plug and play. I'm real familiar with the plays, real familiar with the terminology. It's just a little bit different on a couple of things here and there that I've got to get used to. But I'm excited about this offense. I think this offense is going to be a lot different [from] what you've seen recently. "