FSU football: Will California decision affect Byron Cardwell’s recruitment?

FSU football is in the market for one or two running backs in the 2021 recruiting cycle. Will California’s decision to delay the season impact one FSU target?

FSU football has yet to land a running back commitment for the 2021 recruiting cycle. They’ve offered 20 players but seem to have honed in on a few they like that haven’t committed elsewhere yet.

One of those targets is four-star Byron Cardwell from San Diego, California. The Sports Illustrated All-American is considered the No. 173 player nationally and No. 9 running back while being considered the No. 15 player in California.

He checks in at 6’0″ and 193 pounds with 20 offers from the likes of FSU, California, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington State, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas A&M, and some other smaller schools.

The Noles offered on April 1:

Of course, Cardwell hasn’t been able to visit FSU football due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, one thing took place recently that could change his recruitment. The state of California has voted to delay its high school football season until December 2020 or January.

"California currently has 31 high school players in the class of 2021 with a four-star ranking or better in the 247Sports Composite rankings and dozens more who are considered three-star prospects. Those players will now be forced to choose between playing their senior season of high school football or enrolling early at the college they choose. In a normal year, players can do both, provided they meet the academic requirements to graduate high school in December."

Thoughts

That’s a tough decision for high school players and college coaches. In Cardwell’s situation, he’s one of the higher-ranked running backs in the nation, so he’s probably OK when it comes down to coaches needing to see more when it comes to evaluation.

However, when deciding to enroll early, that could be a game-changer as getting into college in the spring semester often means true freshmen have a better probability of playing in the fall. It allows them the opportunity to acclimate to college life, get a head start on the playbook, and a headstart in the college strength and conditioning program.

Running back is a position where playing time could be available in 2021 depending on if Jashaun Corbin and Khalan Laborn declare for the NFL Draft after the 2020 season.

It’ll be a tough pull regardless from Cali to Tally, but I don’t think distance is a problem in his recruitment.