For Florida State, the tight end position is one it could look to utilize more in 2017. With only five scholarship wide receivers returning, don’t be surprised if the Seminoles look to use Ryan Izzo and Mavin Saunders a bit more together and in the passing game.
Conversely, FSU is also set to face a very good slate of tight ends this season. Jake Butt, Jordan Leggett and Evan Engram might not appear before the Seminoles this season as they did last, but capable tight ends are aplenty on the FSU schedule.
Here’s a look at the five best that Florida State will see:
1. Jaylen Samuels, N.C. State
2016 Stats: 55 catches, 565 yards receiving, 7 touchdown catches, 189 yards rushing, 6 rushing touchdowns
Players like North Carolina State’s Jaylen Samuels don’t come around very often. Despite being listed at tight end, Samuels regularly takes hand-offs from the backfield and lines up out wide. Last season, Samuels scored 13 total touchdowns. As a rusher, he averaged nearly six yards per carry. Samuels finished with 60 total yards and a touchdown in last season’s loss to FSU in Raleigh. The teams meet this season in Tallahassee on Sept. 23.
2. Cam Serigne, Wake Forest
2016 Stats: 30 catches, 426 yards receiving, 3 touchdown catches
Injuries kept Wake Forest tight end Cam Serigne from repeating his production from 2014 and 2015, but make no mistake, the Wake tight end is the real deal. Despite the dip in overall production, Serigne averaged a career-high 14.2 yards per catch last season. Serigne did not play against FSU in Tallahassee last season, but has Wake’s only touchdown in the last five meetings against the Seminoles. The teams meet this season on Sept. 30 in Winston-Salem.
3. Chris Herndon, Miami
2016 Stats: 28 catches, 334 yards receiving, 2 touchdown catches
Despite playing in the shadow of David Njoku, Chris Herndon was productive for Miami as a junior in 2016. Herndon’s large 6-4, 250-pound frame makes him a match-up nightmare for opposing linebackers and could be in for a huge senior season. In last season’s loss to FSU, Herndon had just one catch for 11 yards. The teams meet this season to open up ACC play on Sept. 16 in Tallahassee.
4. Tommy Sweeney, Boston College
2016 Stats: 26 catches, 353 yards receiving, 3 touchdown catches
One of the bright spots for an otherwise inept Boston College offense, Tommy Sweeney evolved into a reliable target for the Eagles as a junior in 2016. Sweeney has great size at 6-5 and nearly 255 pounds and continues a long tradition of successful Boston College tight ends. Sweeney had just one grab for 19 yards against the Seminoles last season in Tallahassee. The teams meet this year in Chestnut Hill on Oct. 27.
5. DeAndre Goolsby, Florida
2016 Stats: 38 catches, 342 yards receiving, 3 touchdown catches
After becoming a bigger part of the offense as a junior, Florida’s DeAndre Goolsby looks to take the next step in 2017. Although he averaged just nine yards per catch last season, Goolsby has traditionally been a tight end that can stretch defenses vertically. Goolsby caught just a pass for five yards in a loss to FSU last season, but will look to build on that when the schools meet in Gainesville on Nov. 25.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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