Why two South Carolina football transfers could be ‘special’ for Florida State

Florida State defensive end Jared Verse didn’t know much about Jaheim Bell and Gilber Edmond when they transferred in this offseason.

But it didn’t take him long to realize just how valuable those two former South Carolina football players could be for FSU in its quest to dethrone Clemson as this year’s ACC champion.

Verse, who’s been teammates with Bell and Edmond since January, spoke about the one-time Gamecocks like longtime friends Wednesday during the ACC Kickoff preseason media event, riffing on everything from Edmond’s pass-rushing moves (“extra crispy”) to Bell’s offensive versatility (“he’s a cheat code”) to the big personalities both players share.

“Gilber is something else,” Verse said of Edmond, laughing. “He’s an interesting dude. I love Gilber.”

He added of Bell: “Oh, Jaheim made me mad. Jaheim made one good play against me one day and he went crazy. But nah, he’s a freak athlete.”

And Verse is far from the only person in Tallahassee happy that Bell and Edmond are sporting garnet and gold as opposed to garnet and black for the 2023 college football season.

Both players were key contributors for last year’s South Carolina team that once again exceeded expectations under coach Shane Beamer, finishing 8-4 with wins over top-10 Tennessee and Clemson teams and a Gator Bowl appearance.

Bell, a hybrid tight end-running back, finished the season as South Carolina’s second-leading rusher and third-leading receiver and had 492 yards and five touchdowns from scrimmage.

And Edmond broke out in his third season, starting 10 of 12 games at edge rusher and leading the team with nine tackles for loss and finishing second with nine quarterback hurries.

But Bell and Edmond — both Florida natives — hit the NCAA transfer portal last offseason and wound up at FSU, where coach Mike Norvell and company are trying to build on an excellent season of their own.

Florida State started out unranked but went 10-3 in 2022 with a win over eventual SEC West champion LSU and a Cheez-It Bowl victory over Oklahoma. The resurgent Seminoles finished No. 13 in the final College Football Playoff poll and had their first 10-win season since 2016.

How USC transfers fit in at FSU

And they’ll be widely expected to repeat that success in 2023, with star dual-threat quarterback Jordan Travis and defensive end Verse among seven returning All-ACC players. Bell and Edmond are part of a loaded group of 11 transfers joining FSU this season, too.

That portal group also included coveted players like former Virginia cornerback Fentrell Cypress II and Tennessee offensive tackle Jeremiah Byers and ranked among the top 10 transfer classes in the country, according to rankings by 247Sports and On3 Sports.

Bell was the No. 1 tight end and No. 8 overall player in 247Sports’ transfer rankings, while Edmond was the No. 3 edge rusher and No. 39 overall portal player before his commitment.

Travis, FSU’s starting quarterback, described Bell (6-foot-3, 239 pounds) as an “insane” athlete. During his three seasons at South Carolina, he recorded the top two single-game receiving-yard totals for a tight end in school history and operated as USC’s starting running back down the stretch in 2022 amid questions about his lack of in-game touches.

“He’s a freak athlete playing tight end,” Travis said. “You can flex him out at wide receiver, put him at running back. When you have a guy like that? Special. He keeps the energy up, man. … The vibes are always good with Jaheim, which is important.”

While Bell was a highly ranked recruit and steady contributor the past two seasons, Edmond (6-4, 257 pounds) was more of a developmental success. He redshirted his true freshman season and played minimally in 2021 with three total tackles in seven games.

But he set career highs across the board in 2022 amid injuries to various USC pass rushers and developed into an every-game starter at one of the team’s two defensive end spots.

“Gilber brings that energy and that motor to what we need,” FSU linebacker Kalen DeLoach said. “Off the field, he’s definitely a person that I can hang around, definitely good people. Just seeing the way he works and the way he carries himself, I can ride for that. He’s definitely come in to do what he needs to do.”

Verse said Edmond has a “finesse” to his pass-rushing moves that even Verse, as a first-team All ACC performer, said he lacks. Edmond’s also a relentless worker, he said.

“That’s something I love about him,” Verse said. “He has that mentality where if you beat him this play, he’s gonna get you back the next one.”

While Verse and FSU are certainly enjoying the additions of Bell and Edmond, their departures are still smarting in Columbia. The same goes for running back MarShawn Lloyd (Southern Cal) and defensive end Jordan Burch (Oregon), two other prominent starters who transferred to other Power Five schools.

Beamer, their former coach, even made a tongue-in-cheek comment about their departures during SEC spring meetings in May. He was speaking in the context of roster tampering discussions, which have become a hot topic in college football in the NIL era.

“I mean, we lost four guys that were key contributors for us after the season, and it was strange on a couple of those situations based on conversations that I’d had with guys two or three days before they went in the portal,” Beamer said. “It’s interesting how things happen.

“But, again, rumors are one thing. Proof’s another thing. And as far as our situations, I haven’t had anything where I’ve necessarily turned anybody in for tampering.”