Florida State football revamped its wide receiver room in the offseason, landing highly touted recruits and transfers, including veteran graduate transfer Gavin Blackwell from North Carolina.
Blackwell displayed a calm and focused demeanor while discussing his decision to transfer to FSU when speaking to local media on Wednesday.
A player who experienced early success in his career before multiple injuries forced him to spend time on the sidelines, Blackwell said he’s feeling “better than ever” in his final year of eligibility.
“It’s all a part of the journey. Football is a tough sport, injury comes with it,” Blackwell said. “I feel like that’s built who I am today. I feel like it’s made me a lot tougher, mentally and physically. Now I’m here, ready, feeling better than ever in year five.”
In his four seasons at North Carolina, the redshirt senior recorded 31 catches for 448 yards and a touchdown in his 29 appearances and eight starts for the Tar Heels. He was limited to four games in his junior season with injuries forcing him to miss time.
Gavin Blackwell is confident in “familiar” Gus Malzahn offense
Both head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn were influential in bringing him to Tallahassee, and he said he feels a familiarity with the offense both coaches want to run.
Blackwell said that both Norvell and Malzahn, alongside wide receivers coach Tim Harris Jr, had a plan for him, and Norvell said he believes he can help the redshirt senior chase his NFL dreams.
“He believed in me… I got one year left, I’m a graduate, it’s my fifth year. It’s important for somebody to believe in you and have the confidence in you to go out there and make your mark,” Blackwell said. “I don’t want this to be my last year playing football, he told me I’d have an opportunity here to get that chance at the next level.”
“People that go to the NFL out of Florida State, they typically stay there, they don’t just go home and have a short career. That’s something I don’t want to fall short of.”
Malzahn worked with Blackwell’s former offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey at UCF, and he said there is a lot of similarity in the way both coaches run their offense.
While he’s still learning the full playbook, Blackwell is confident he can quickly pick up on what is expected of him in the creative, fast-paced offense Malzahn runs. With speed and a good route running ability, Blackwell can be a deep threat for the Seminoles.
“Explosive offense, big play offense that can run the ball also… I just see myself coming in here and making plays,” Blackwell said. “I’m real familiar with the plays, really familiar with the terminology, just a little bit different on a couple of things here and there that I’ve got to get used to.”
“I’m excited about this offense. I think this offense will be a lot different than maybe what you’ve seen recently.”
Blackwell embraces leadership role in youthful wide receiver room
Blackwell is the veteran of a group of receivers that includes young stars like freshman Jayvan Boggs, redshirt freshman Elijah Moore and sophomore Lawayne McCoy, among others.
Alongside fellow transfers Duce Robinson and Squirrel White, Blackwell has embraced the leadership role, even if the young players on the team have given him the endearing nickname of “unc.” − An abbreviated term of the word uncle.
With his experience, Blackwell hopes to guide the young stars and emphasize the need to focus on recovery, something he said he didn’t fully commit to earlier in his career while dealing with injuries.
“Trying to bring guys with me to the training room, making sure they are trying to take care of their bodies,” Blackwell said. “Your body is your temple. The best asset in football is your availability, so if you are not available, you can’t be on the field and can’t play.”
While he wants to be a role model for the younger wide receivers, Blackwell also has lofty expectations for himself on the field.
“I wanted to bet on myself. I feel like I can be one of the best wide receivers in the country,” Blackwell said. “What better place to do it than Florida State University?”
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football’s Gavin Blackwell bet on himself, ready for breakout final college season
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
