Tae'Shaun Gelsey earning a role in FSU football's receiver room

Few places offer a better place for reflection than a trip home.

For Florida State football wide receiver Tae’Shaun Gelsey, the Seminoles‘ camp in Jacksonville helped him think about his collegiate journey so far. The Riverside High School alumnus and Duval County native has taken a leap in his development ahead of his second season.

“The most I improved on is confidence,” Gelsey told reporters in Jacksonville. “I came in and really had to work for my spot. I pretty much had to go through the whole process all over again… My main goal was to build confidence in the spring, carry over to the summer. I really just want to be somebody that’s dependable.”

While Gelsey was limited in his freshman season, appearing in four games, he’s put himself in a position to get more action this season.

He’s made good on his desire to be dependable early in the preseason, consistently earning praise from offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr and head coach Mike Norvell. Competing in a wide receiver room that seems to have a clear pecking order with Duce Robinson and Micahi Danzy on top, Gelsey has made the most of his moments in camp.

“I’ll tell you right now, what he’s doing in training camp right now, he’s earning every opportunity that he’ll get,” Harris said of Gelsey after the Seminoles’ scrimmage on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

“He’s showing up every single day. It showed up last night in the scrimmage; it wasn’t just the controlled setting at practice. Because sometimes you see that, and then when the lights are on, and everything is going, the flow of the game, you don’t see it. But with him, he’s showing up every day. I’m very pleased.”

Harris credited a year of experience in college for helping Gelsey fast-track his off-season development. At 6-foot-4 and 227 pounds, Gelsey offers a solid backup option to Robinson, and can even give the Seminoles additional height if both are on the field.

The former 4-star prospect caught 61 passes for 875 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior at Riverside, and he’s flashed that skill set in practice.

While Gelsey’s size mirrors that of a prototypical outside receiver, he wants to prove he can move around the field as he hopes to become a more consistent playmaker for the Seminoles.

“Another goal I had going into the summer is being able to play wherever. Boundary, field, it really doesn’t matter,” Gelsey said. “Just being able to get the job done at any spot they put me at.”

• vs. New Mexico State | Aug. 29

• vs. SMU* | Sept. 7

• Bye

• at Alabama | Sept. 19

• vs. Central Arkansas | Sept. 26

• vs. Virginia* | Oct. 3

• at Louisville* | Oct. 9

• at Miami* | Oct. 17

• Bye

• vs. Clemson* | Oct. 31

• at Boston College* | Nov. 7

• at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13

• vs. NC State* | Nov. 21

• vs. Florida | Nov. 27

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tae’Shaun Gelsey earning a role in FSU football’s receiver room