Two More Seminoles Named To Preseason Watch Lists

Eight different Florida State standouts have been selected to preseason watch lists this week.

Florida State offensive lineman Maurice Smith has been named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List and FSU tight end Jaheim Bell is on the Mackey Award Watch List, it was announced Friday.

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Smith started all 12 games he appeared in last season and was named third-team All-ACC by Phil Steele. He was a two-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week, earning the honor after FSU’s 45-38 victory over Florida and 38-3 win at Syracuse. The Miami native blocked for an offense that led the country with an average of 7.46 plays of at least 20 yards per game and tied for the national lead with eight touchdown drives of at least 90 yards. Florida State led the ACC in third-down offense, yards gained per pass attempt, yards gained per play, yards gained per rush, total offense per game, yards per completion, rushing offense per game and scoring offense per game.

Smith helped protect quarterback Jordan Travis, who was PFF’s highest-graded quarterback nationally and the ACC’s highest-graded offensive player as Travis led ACC in yards per play, yards per pass attempt, yards per completion and pass efficiency rating. Smith also paved the way for running back Trey Benson to lead the ACC with an average of 6.43 yards per rush and opened lanes as FSU topped 200 rushing yards in seven straight games, tying the school record. He also blocked as the Seminoles scored five rushing touchdowns against Florida, the highest single-game total by a Gators opponent since 1997, and blocked for the third game in school history with a 375-yard passer, 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver while piling up 642 yards of total offense in FSU’s 41-16 win vs. Georgia Tech.

Bell came to Florida State in January as the No. 1 tight end and No. 8 overall player in the 247Sports transfer ratings. In 30 games at South Carolina, he made 56 catches for 757 yards and seven touchdowns while adding 301 yards and three touchdowns rushing. Bell’s career-high 159 yards in the 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl against North Carolina is the Gamecocks’ single-game record for receiving yards by a tight end. In that game, he scored a career-best two touchdowns, courtesy of 69- and 66-yard catches on the first two possessions of a 38-21 victory.

In 2022, Bell caught 25 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns and added 261 yards and three touchdowns on 73 rushing attempts. The Lake City, Florida, native tied his career high with two receiving touchdowns and rushed for a career-best 82 yards in a 63-38 victory over No. 5 Tennessee. His five receiving touchdowns led the team in 2021, and his 136 yards on a career-high six receptions against Vanderbilt was at the time the most in a game for a tight end in program history before he eclipsed that mark against UNC.

The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division I college football. The Rimington Trophy committee uses All-American teams selected by the Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News and Football Writers Association of America. The center with the most first-team votes will be determined as the winner. The Mackey Award is presented annually to college football’s most outstanding tight end. FSU brought both awards to Tallahassee in 2013 as Bryan Stork was that year’s Rimington recipient and Nick O’Leary won the Mackey.

Smith and Bell are the seventh and eighth different Florida State players on a preseason watch list this week, and the Seminoles have accounted for 10 total watch list spots. Monday, Travis and Benson were both on the Maxwell Award Watch List. Tuesday featured offensive lineman Jeremiah Byers on the Outland Trophy Watch List as well as defensive back Fentrell Cypress II and defensive lineman Jared Verse on the Bronko Nagurski Watch List. Alex Mastromanno was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List on Wednesday, and Thursday saw Verse on the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and Benson on the Paul Hornung Award Watch List.

The Seminoles open their 2023 season in primetime on Sunday, Sept. 3, vs. LSU. Their season opener kicks off inside Camping World Stadium in Orlando at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

*Press release courtesy of Florida State Athletics

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