The Florida Gators have dangerous playmakers at both wide receiver and running back, but their proven quality at tight end is still up in the air. That is even with head coach Jon Sumrall bringing in Luke Harpring, Lacota Dippre, Evan Chieca and Jaylen Jordan in the transfer portal.
However, a potential wildcard at the tight end position for the Gators in 2026 is true freshman Heze Kent , who gives the offense a mismatch along the line in both the run and passing game.
Florida tight end Heze Kent (86) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Kent is listed at 6-foot-6 and 288 pounds on the Gators' roster, giving him the size advantage over almost any linebacker or defensive back put opposite him. He dropped over 30 pounds from when he stepped on campus to this fall, and there is more to go, says Florida 's strength and conditioning coach Rusty Whitt.
"At some point, that young man said, 'Hey, I really want to play tight end here ,'" Whitt said of Kent, who has battled outside calls for him to play offensive line due to his size. "And 33 pounds, right? 30 total. So he went from 315-ish to 280-something, in the high 280s. So his ideal weight in our mind right now is around 275. So we're going to get him that."
It was not an easy task to get there, either, but Florida's staff, despite not recruiting him for the most part, put him to work early and put the ball in Kent's court if he wanted to be a tight end for the Gators.
"We have challenged him, and he's responded," Sumrall said. "I gave him an ultimatum of some sort of... two or three different goals, weights by different timelines, or he could play either offensive line, or who knows-- he could make the decision. He's decided he didn't want to play offensive line or nose tackle."
Nonetheless, no matter his weight, the ball skills as a pass catcher have always been there, and Sumrall has noticed them as well.
"I'm not just saying this; this is the truth, he may have the best ball skills on our team," Sumrall said. "...Heze's ball skills are really, really elite. It's kind of fun to watch."
What makes him such an interesting prospect for the Gators this season is not just his talents as a pass catcher, though. It is that mixed in with his power along the offensive line.
Kent has the strength and size to be a sixth offensive lineman when the Gators prefer to run the ball. That is a great thing to have in your back pocket, especially when the Florida offensive line has been a question mark this offseason.
It also makes the offense's play-action use even more dangerous, which is how he scored a touchdown in the team's second scrimmage on Saturday.
His role for the upcoming season is still unclear. Harpring, Dippre and Amir Jackson are most likely ahead on the depth chart based on seniority. However, the Gators clearly have a wildcard in this room who could make a major impact this season if he is given the platform.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as How Florida TE Heze Kent is a Wildcard for the Gators' Offense .
