The Florida Gators welcomed four new tight ends to the roster after losing the same number to the transfer portal this offseason.
One of those additions is hard to miss on the practice field. True freshman Heze Kent, a four-star recruit out of Brunswick, Georgia, stands at a towering 6’6″, 313 pounds.
Many projected Kent to play offensive tackle at the collegiate level due to his sheer size, but he arrived in Gainesville to play tight end. Kent has uncommon athleticism for someone of his stature, displaying fluid movements and soft hands.
Kent averaged 21.4 yards per catch during his high school career, totaling 2,057 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns, including 10 as a senior. He also contributed on the ground, recording 694 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.
“I had a chance to recruit Heze for a long time at the last place. He is extremely skilled for his size. He’s very fluid. He’s got as good of ball skills as anybody we got on the team,” offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner said on Kent. “He’s a long way away, but he’s been one that’s improved every day over the last month.”
It’s no secret Kent will need to lose weight. There are few success stories of tight ends at his size. Still, head coach Jon Sumrall is excited about the upside Kent brings to the table.
“He’s got to lose a little bit of weight. He knows that,” Sumrall said. “The thing about Heze, he moves better than you think he would at that weight. He’s got unbelievably natural ball skills. We got to get him down so he can play a high level all the time. But I’m excited about what that could look like for him. He’s doing some good things.”
What’s the ideal, realistic weight for Kent? That remains largely to be determined. The first step, according to tight ends coach Evan McKissack, is getting him below 300 pounds.
“We don’t just start off with a long-term goal. And so he’s gradually losing weight, and, you know, biggest thing, he’s got great athleticism,” McKissack said. “We like to say, ‘Okay, let’s get below 300, let’s get to 295, let’s get to 290’. I think those things right there implement those challenges, even all throughout the course of the season, just makes the player grow.”
“And he’s answered those challenges, and the key is consistency, though, like, that’s always the biggest thing,” McKissack added. “But a lot of guys can see him as a project tackle, or this or that. Like, the guy’s here to go play tight end, that’s what I tell him, you know, and he can definitely do it. It’s just about his ability to freaking go face each challenge each day.”
Kent arrived in Gainesville with an ankle injury that kept him from fully participating in the offseason conditioning program, limiting his ability to shed weight. Since recovering, Florida’s staff has been pleased with his progress and determination.
“He’s freaking combined two really good weeks now. He’s doing a good job…He sends me a picture every day of him getting on the cardio deck, like, that’s a part of his goal sheet, or IUP, and my way of holding him accountable,” McKissack said. “He’s been working hard and his weight’s going down, really excited about some of the terms he’s making.”
The word “project” oftentimes gets attached to a player who has the raw physical tools but needs further development and coaching before contributing on the field. That’s not how McKissack views Kent.
“I don’t even like to call it project – like he’s a great football player, he’s got it in him,” McKissack said. “Tremendous hands, can run.”
It’s anyone’s guess when we’ll see Kent in live action. Like the rest of the team, his playing time will be earned through his work ethic on and off the field.
“I think the more he’s around our weight room program with Coach Whitt and he’s with Jake Sankel, who works in our weight room and also does nutrition stuff, I think then you watch his body transform,” Sumrall said. “I feel like he’s got a chance to be a pretty special player. He’s got to put that work in and be extremely disciplined.”