Mike Norvell reveals how FSU running back Trey Benson can take that 'next step' in 2023

One player who Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles are expecting to rely on this season is running back Trey Benson.

During the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff, Norvell explained what has made Benson so special to this point and what it’s going to take for him to take the next step to become a dominant runner for the Seminoles.

“It’s been great,” Mike Norvell said. “For some people who don’t know Trey’s story, when he came to Florida State, he was coming off a devastating injury. We had to bring him along and help him build confidence in himself, you know, just coming off that injury.”

Trey Benson was a transfer to Florida State from Oregon. In December 2020, he suffered a major knee injury that he was forced to recover from and cost him most of 2021 before he properly returned and played in 13 games for Florida State in 2022.

“You look back last year, close to a 1,000 yard rusher. You know all the things –now, this year is taking the next step because it’s not just that he can play football, it’s continuing to elevate himself to, I believe, being one of the best running backs in the country,” Norvell said.

“You see that confidence. You see him really trying to focus on those little things, whether it’s pass protection, being able to showcase all the things, catching the ball out of the backfield. Then, he’s pretty special when he gets the ball in his hands as a runner too. So, his confidence has continued to grow. Another person that’s so unselfish, so humble, but really just a dynamic player and I think he’s going to be special in that running back room.”

During the 2022 season, Benson rushed for 990 yards and nine touchdowns.

Mike Norvell praised Jordan Travis

Another key piece of Florida State’s offense is quarterback Jordan Travis, who Mike Norvell praised for his annual growth as a player.

“He’s a tremendous quarterback who can run. There are some plays you’re going to see, the highlight plays are always going to show up that show his running ability, but I mean he is a quarterback that can live in the pocket, that can deliver the ball accurately, push the ball down the field and his intelligence, that’s the greatest quality,” Norvell said.

“You know, it’s rhythm, timing, getting more comfortable with what we’re asking him to do. We’re a rhythm based passing attack. Everyone has different ways of doing it, but coming in we wanted to establish that for Jordan. You saw the first year he dealt with a lot of injuries and things, COVID and all the things that we had, it was hard to really see some of that put together. But through his work going into last season that started to show up. Whether teams were trying to blitz him or whatever it was, he was confident in where the ball was going, where it needed to go and when it needed to get there.”