Florida’s 288-pound freshman shows why he isn’t giving up on playing tight end

Heze Kent might be one of the more fascinating players on Florida’s roster for the 2026 season. The odds of him playing meaningful snaps as a true freshman this year are low, given the cache of tight ends who currently sit ahead of him.

But it’s also the fact that he is a tight end in the first place that makes him one of Florida’s most fascinating players, and on Saturday he got a brief moment to showcase why he doesn’t intend to shift to where people think he should be.

Heze Kent catches a touchdown during Florida’s scrimmage 

Florida’s official social media account posted a couple of videos from their scrimmage on Saturday. One showed Kent going up to catch a touchdown pass. 

The catch itself isn’t going to break the internet, but it’s a reminder of Kent being a tight end and not an offensive tackle.

When Kent arrived in Gainesville, he was listed at 313 pounds during spring camp. On day one of spring camp, he went viral after people commented that he should be an offensive tackle. Even on his 247 profile, analyst Hudson Standish stated:

“Jumbo athlete hovering around 6-foot-6, 310 pounds who primarily plays tight end at the prep level but likely projects to offensive tackle or defensive tackle on Saturdays...Sheer size and athleticism point to obvious long-term NFL upside, especially if he embraces a role along the offensive or defensive line at the next level.”

Kent visited Miami, Texas, and FSU during the summer of 2025, but he chose Florida. The irony of the Billy Napier era is that his use of tight ends helped land Kent in the first place. And since showing up to Gainesville under Jon Sumrall, Kent has dedicated himself to making sure he can stay a tight end.

His listed weight is now 288 pounds, down 25 pounds from spring camp. Florida’s tight end room in 2026 is looking like it will be a combination of Lacota Dippre, Luke Harpring, Amir Jackson, and Evan Chieca. So, for better or for worse, since Kent probably won’t see much playing time this year beyond potentially special teams, it gives him a chance to continue to transform his body to showcase that he really is meant to be a tight end in the future.

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