12/8/2022 football Edit

Five prospects expected to make official visits to FSU this weekend

Patrick Burnham • TheOsceola

Football/Recruiting Analyst

It will be a busy weekend for FSU coach Mike Norvell and his coaching staff this weekend. In addition to holding three practices over the weekend, the Seminoles will also be hosting five prospects who will be making their official visits to Florida State.

That list includes four players who are in the NCAA transfer portal: South Carolina tight end Jaheim Bell, Shorter University tight end Kyle Morlock, UCF defensive back Davonte Brown and UTEP offensive tackle Jeremiah Byers. The lone high school prospect expected to be on campus officially is WR/DB Edwin Joseph from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna High.

Bell is considered one of the better overall prospects in the portal regardless of position. The 6-foot-3 and 232-pound tight end was teammates with FSU quarterback Tate Rodemaker at Valdosta (Ga.) High School. Bell will have three years of eligibility remaining, having signed as part of the 2020 recruiting class. In 12 games this season, Bell caught 25 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. His most productive season at South Carolina was in 2021 when he caught 30 passes for 497 yards and five touchdowns. He was also used as a running back with 80 career carries for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Rivals ranks Bell as the 78th-best player available in the 2023 transfer portal.

Byers is one of the most coveted offensive linemen in this year's transfer portal. He is 6-4 and 331-pounds and signed with UTEP In 2019 after having played on both the offensive and defensive lines at Austin (Texas) LC Anderson High. In 2021 Byers made 13 starts at right tackle and was named an Honorable Mention All-Conference USA selection. This season Byers started all 12 regular-season games at right tackle on his way to earning first-team All-Conference USA honors. According to PFF stats, Byers allowed just one sack and seven quarterback pressures in 445 snaps. In the last several days he has picked up offers from a group of schools that includes Florida State, Penn State, Miami, Memphis, Missouri and Texas Tech.

Morlock is rated at the 17th-best overall prospect in the 2023 transfer portal by Rivals. He is 6-7 and 245 pounds and signed with Shorter College out of Union County (Ga.) High School. Morlock played in 24 games over three seasons at Shorter and caught 57 passes for 890 yards in two and half seasons. This season, Morlock caught 30 passes for 446 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games. Morlock was a two-time All-American at Shorter. He is one of the hottest names in the portal having picked up offers from a group of schools that includes Florida State, Auburn, NC State, Oregon State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, LSU, Pitt and Tennessee

Brown is rated as the 146th-best overall prospect in the 2023 portal. He has added 30 pounds to his 6-2 frame since he entered the UCF program and is now 185 pounds. He is also the brother of 2023 cornerback prospect Damari Brown from Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage High. The younger Brown took an official visit to FSU in October and FSU is in a fierce battle with Alabama and Miami to land him. Davonte played in 13 games for UCF this season and totaled 30 tackles and made two interceptions. In three seasons with the Knights, Brown totaled 67 stops and three interceptions.

Joesph, who is 6-1 and 190 pounds, will be taking the last of his five NCAA-allowable official visits this weekend. He has already taken visits to Auburn, Louisville, Penn State and South Carolina. Miami is also involved with Joseph. As a senior, Joseph caught 36 passes for 592 yards and eight touchdowns. He also had 16 tackles and two interceptions playing defensive back.

Update (5:52pm on 12/8):

We have now confirmed that Rueben Bain from Miami (Fla.) Central High School will be in Tallahassee this weekend. Bain has already taken official visits to Alabama, Auburn and Louisville and is reported to be visiting Miami on an official visit on the weekend of December 17th.

2023 linebacker prospect Kamren Robinson who is currently committed to Virginia will also be in town for his official visit. The Tappahannock (Va.) Essex HS product has been committed to UVA since July. He has also been on official visits to both Virginia and Virginia Tech.