FSU football: Importance of having large number of early enrollees

FSU football did a great job of getting nearly all of the 2020 recruiting class to sign early. What’s the importance of so many enrolling early?

I wrote about FSU football and what things could impact their final 2020 recruiting ranking next month Monday.

It’s a good transitional class thus far but there are still some holes that need to be filled like offensive tackle, running back and defensive end.

However, aside from getting nearly all the 2020 commits to sign early the other impressive feat is getting a large number of them to early enroll.

Noles247 is reporting that eight of the current 18 signed/committed players are going to be early enrollees.

Three-star QB Tate Rodemaker, three-star offensive tackle Lloyd Willis, three-star linebacker Stephen Dix Jr., three-star defensive end Josh Griffis, three-star tight end Carter Boatright, three-star offensive tackle Zane Herring, four-star wide receiver Ja’Khi Douglas and four-star wide receiver Bryan Robinson are all reportedly planning to enroll early.

As you can see a number of them confirmed they were already in Tallahassee via social media. Let’s talk about the importance of having so many of these players to early enroll.

Development

One of the most important hires Mike Norvell made is bringing over Director of Strength and Conditioning Coach Josh Storms.

Florida State Seminoles Football

Storms has brought three assistance strength and conditioning coaches with him thus far. I’ve talked about the credentials Storms brings, and these players getting months to workout in a legit strength and conditioning program is huge.

For a number of them it’s the difference in being able to play as a true freshman or not from a physical stand point.

Also, it gives players like quarterback Tate Rodemaker a real opportunity to compete for the starting job in 2020. After all, we saw how former FSU commit Sam Howell performed this past season as a true freshman who early enrolled.

Josh Griffis early enrolling at the defensive end position where depth is lacking is big time. Also, the wide receivers getting a jump on the playbook and learning the intricacies of things from Ron Dugans will prove useful to their development.

It also gives the wide receiver room more bodies to contribute during the practices. The offensive linemen getting a jump-start in developing physically is huge too.

Recruiting

What’s one of the best things to help finish off a strong recruiting class with a new coach? Getting a large number of players who just signed for him to be on campus when new recruits visit campus.

FSU will be hosting a number of players on campus this month with National Signing Day approaching the first Wednesday in February.

These players being on campus and already getting to work will give the recruits visiting a glimpse into how things will be.

It’ll also be a good time for the recruits to sell their own vision as to why they fully committed and enrolled early to get a jump-start on their college career.

The other thing is depending on how the numbers shake out, early enrollees can be backdated to the previous class.

That means Mike Norvell can take more a larger class in 2021 than if these players have not enrolled early. It also depends on how many players exhaust eligibility or graduate.

Final Thoughts

I can’t stress the importance of having such a large number of players to early enroll. It’s rare for true freshman to come in with enrolling early and having an impact.

However, those that do enroll early often are able to play more quickly depending on the position they play.

As I mentioned, having a quarterback to enroll early means there will be some real competition for James Blackman and Jordan Travis should they remain on the roster.

It’s like an extended training camp for players to develop physically and mentally while getting acclimated to college without having to worry about actual games being played on the weekends.

The Noles only have a few select spots remaining in this class for some real positions of need, so having all these players on campus will help Mike Norvell determine if the players who visit are the right fit for the culture he’s trying to cultivate.

Having these players on campus also helps recruit for the class of 2021 as the coaching staff has already began to lay the groundwork for that class.