Jayvan Boggs isn’t the tallest or fastest of receivers. He is among the most productive in Florida high school history.
Boggs caught 99 passes for 2,133 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior at Cocoa (Fla.) High, helping the Tigers win the Class 2A state title for a third straight season. It was the culmination of a high school career where Boggs had an eye-popping 4,363 yards and 50 touchdowns (nearly all of it accumulated in three seasons).
“The offense was run by Coach (Ryan) Schneider, he's one of the best head coaches in the country,” Boggs said. “He had a great offensive scheme for us. His scheme at Cocoa, it was great for my skill and just what I do. Him moving me inside and out, which is really great for what I do.”
Boggs walks into an intriguing situation as an early enrollee, flipping from UCF to FSU late in his recruitment as he follows Gus Malzahn and Tim Harris Jr. to Tallahassee. That longstanding connection between Boggs and the UCF coaches, as well as the fit in a Mike Norvell-Malzahn offense, helped seal things up for him.
“Really it was just the trust in me that he had,” Boggs said. “And the offense, it’s very fast, explosive. He has a bunch of great guys that he’s put in the NFL for the skill position. I had a lot of trust in him and his offense. Me and his relationship goes way back.”
While relationships with the former UCF coaches brought established and productive starters to FSU in offensive lineman Adrian Medley and tight end Randy Pittman, Malzahn and Harris Jr. had a relationship established with Boggs, too.
"We go way back," Malzahn said. "He's phenomenal. He's a playmaker. He was really, at the last place I was at, a priority and that didn't change when I got here. Really excited to coach him. He's got a special gift. He's not your normal young guy, freshman that'll be coming in. He's a really, really special guy."
There are opportunities for receivers in a rebuilt room in 2025, with FSU landing productive transfers Duce Robinson and Squirrel White to (potentially) lead the way in a room without an established returning group. Junior-college standout Jordan Scott is 6-foot-7 and also an intriguing option.
Seven pass-catchers had 10 or more receptions for FSU in 2024, with five moving on. Ja’Khi Douglas, Kentron Poitier, Lawrance Toafili and Kyle Morlock saw their eligibility expire, while Malik Benson opted to transfer to Oregon. Only Hykeem Williams (16 catches, 187 yards and 1 TD) returns among the receivers, with Landen Thomas (14 catches, 173 yards and 1 TD) back at tight end.
That translates into opportunities for every receiver, from Williams to second-year options like Elijah Moore, Lawayne McCoy, BJ Gibson and Camdon Frier. Where could Boggs fit in? While not known for his speed or enjoying a considerable catch radius at 6-foot-1, Boggs gets open and catches passes.
"A lot of (his talent) is God-given. Jayvan has been blessed to be in a really good high-school program,” Harris Jr. said in December. “His high-school coach, Ryan Schneider, does a really good job with his program and his game has developed over the years. When you match that God-given ability with him showing the level that he's taken his game to year after year, he's getting the right development. That's what makes him an attractive prospect.
"Obviously, our relationship goes back and I've been able to watch his development over the years pretty closely. He put himself in position physically where his body is ready to come in here and compete to play.”
The last FSU true freshman receiver with 20 or more receptions in a season was Travis Rudolph, who had 38 catches for 555 yards and four touchdowns in 2014. Yes, it's been a decade.
But Boggs has an opportunity, if he learns the playbook and can acclimate this spring. He’s already built a close connection with Robinson, one where the older receiver has become a friend and mentor.
“We've grown real close,” Boggs said. “I hang out with him a lot. He just helps me with a bunch of stuff. Him being an older guy, and this being his third year, just him being an older guy, veteran, just in the room. … We go work out, we do chill stuff. It's been great having him in that room.”
While Boggs was a prolific high school receiver, he feels it is critical to be a good perimeter blocker, too. Boggs said it was an aspect of a receiver’s play that he as well as Cocoa’s coaching staff valued.
Boggs used the word “contribute” a few times. How much he contributes will be among the storylines to watch in the fall, and one that will be evaluated in the spring.
“I think I can contribute a lot this year," Boggs said. "My skill set that I have, the God-given ability and just me working hard and learning all the plays, and just getting the playbook down. I'm a very versatile receiver. I can move inside and out, but I think I'll contribute.”
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