Jaheim Bell and Kyle Morlock Bring Diversity to the Tight End Room

The Florida State Seminoles are halfway through fall camp, finishing practice No. 10 Tuesday morning. Much of the excitement brewing in the offseason can be attributed to star players like quarterback Jordan Travis and defensive end Jared Verse returning for their final year. Another thing that has had college football experts eager to see what the No. 8 Seminoles will bring to the field is their success in the transfer portal last year.

FSU brought in the sixth-ranked transfer class in 2023, which included tight ends Jaheim Bell (South Carolina) and Kyle Morlock (Shorter). The new additions helped bolster and diversify the offense, and midway through camp, it seems to be paying off.

"The biggest thing that stands out to me that I like about the group, they have a great work ethic," Tight ends coach Chris Thomsen said about his room after practice. "They're bringing that every day. There's a real diverse set of skills; you know, just different type players that all are gonna find a different role and bring a lot to the table and help win."

Coaches have been high on the two standouts so far. At 6-foot-6 and 239 pounds, Morlock has greatly improved from spring and continues to make strides in learning a new offense.

"When you think about Kyle, he's a guy that really, if we want to play him on the perimeter, in the slot, at the five, he can operate really well out there as a receiver-type player but also has the bulk and the willingness to go in and attach and play in the backfield and operate as an effective blocker in the box," Thomsen said. "He's kinda that in-between guy that can do both at a high level.

Bell has also proved why he was one of the top-ranked transfers at his position. He is a versatile player who can play in the backfield as a running back and line up as a receiver while also being able to block when asked.

"That's what I'm stressing to him all the time, you know, in the scrimmage, you break eight or nine tackles on one run, we gotta go block with that same tenacity and he's doing that," Thomsen said. "We had a down block on a big D-end today on a toss play. He stuck his face in there and showed the physicality. The guy squats over 600 pounds. His lower half is extremely powerful, which is why it's hard to tackle him. It's hard to wrap that guy, but now take that to the run game."

Thomsen goes over how the additions fit into the current room, offensive strategy, and team discipline in his full interview below.

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