Florida State football running back Trey Benson set out with a lofty goal for the 2022 season: 1,000 rushing yards.

While that may not seem like a far-fetched number, Benson had just six rushes for 22 yards with Oregon to his name prior to last season before transferring to the Seminoles.

He almost achieved his goal, falling just 10 yards shy, despite not starting the season as the starting running back. Along with his 990 yards, he added nine touchdowns on 154 rushes in his first season with FSU.

“I’m just grateful to be able to come back from a devastating injury. This offseason has been great. I have no problems, I feel 100 percent, and I’m just ready to go," Benson said to the local media Wednesday.

Meeting Florida State football's wide receiver group for 2023, led by Johnny Wilson

Benson was the most elusive running back according to Pro Football Focus in 2022. His Elusive Rating of 226.6 trumped the consensus top running back Bijan Robinson’s (169.1), of Texas. Robinson went No. 7 overall to the Atlanta Falcons in the 2023 NFL Draft.

He also added 17 plays of 20 yards or more for FSU, finishing third on the team behind quarterback Jordan Travis (63) and receiver Johnny Wilson (22).

With an offensive line group that returns the most experience in college football - in terms of starts - in 2023, Benson believes it will be the difference in him being able to accomplish his goal.

“Coming from experience, at my previous school, they had a lot of guys coming back on the offensive line and it was a great offensive line," Benson said. "This offensive line this year is going to be special. I feel like I won’t be 10 yards short this year.”

FSU quarterback Jordan Travis talks Manning Academy, Destyn Hill, summer workouts

Growing his game

Benson has been hard at work this summer to prepare for a potentially huge season for the Seminoles. Coming off a 10-win season and a Cheez-It Bowl victory, they project as College Football Playoff contenders, as well as likely favorites to win the ACC.

Benson said the message from the coaches has been simple, as he said he felt he left yards out on the field last season.

“Just trusting my speed and trusting my track," Benson said. "That’s what you’re going to hear Coach (Mike) Norvell yell at me all the time, so that’s what you’re going to hear Coach Norvell yelling me out about all the time. So basically spring I’ve been trusting my speed and trusting my track. That’s all.”

Last season, Benson had 13 catches for 144 yards out of the backfield. He did not record a catch with the Ducks in 2021.

In spring practices, his pass-catching was something that was observed as an obvious improvement.

He has the confidence of Travis when it comes to catching passes.

“Yeah, Trey can catch the ball. He’s worked really hard this offseason," Travis said. "Even last year, I feel like he would make plays. ‘I can catch bro, I can catch.’ If he drops the ball in practice, he’ll let me know his mistake. He’s an athlete and he can catch the ball.”

Benson was listed at 215 pounds on the FSU roster last season. During the summer, he has bulked up but is working on getting to his ideal body weight for the 2023 season.

“I don’t really have a goal in weight. Being bigger, that’s great, I still feel good. I probably weigh 226 right now, and I’ll go down just a bit. I want to play at 220. Having that weight is cool and all, but I feel like I like being a little lighter because I don’t want to lose out on my speed. But goal is 220.”

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Healthy offseason helps Trey Benson prepare for season