Mike Norvell reveals how transfer Deuce Spann continues to develop as a receiver

Deuce Spann is still coming into his own as a receiver, but the tools are there. A former three-star quarterback in the 2020 class, Spann made the switch to wideout as a redshirt freshman at Illinois this past season.

He went on to play in just seven games, recording five catches for 124 yards and a touchdown before transferring to Florida State. So far in Tallahassee, he is continuing to make strides in fall camp that have caught the eye of coach Mike Norvell.

“When you have size, speed and strength, all those are a good combination that help put you in a position to be successful,” Norvell said Saturday following the Seminoles’ first fall scrimmage. “To see him capitalize on that, making the tough catches down the field, being able to — when he got the ball in his hands on a short or intermediate play — see that explosiveness is encouraging. We continue to challenge him.”

At 6-foot-4, Deuce Spann has the size a receiver needs to reach over defenders and make difficult grabs. He also has the speed and was a dual-threat quarterback who rushed for 847 yards as a high school senior. If he can put things together mentally, he has a chance to be a dangerous weapon down the road at FSU.

Spann is one of five transfer receivers to join Florida State this offseason, and the Seminoles also return five of their top six pass catchers from a year ago. With that in mind, playing time will be difficult to come by in 2022, but he can likely carve out a role as a reserve. But as long as he keeps working toward getting better, he may even see more opportunity come his way in the future.

“Deuce is such a great young man and he wants to be great,” Norvell said. “Even through the lessons that he’s learned because he’s so new to the position, you’re seeing the application. To have a day like today where he really rose up, I was proud of him. There’s a lot of competition in that room and seeing those guys play off of each other but competing with each other is impressive.”

Florida State is set to kick off the 2022 season on Aug. 27 against Duquesne.