FSU football: Impact of adding preferrred walk-on players to the program

FSU football has added some quality walk-on players.

FSU football coaches have been busy working on having a strong finish to the 2021 recruiting class. The coaches currently have 20 players with room for about six more.

However, one important aspect that goes unnoticed by recruiting fans is for the staff to add quality preferred walk-on players.

These are players we rarely see on game day, but they play an important part in helping the program get better.

FSU coaches have added some players as preferred walk-ons in the 2021 recruiting cycle who should help the program.

These players are set to join the program according to Noles247:

• Emile Aime-LB
• Caleb Blake-CB
• Anthony Weeden-WR
• Jake Mann-Long Snapper
• Joe Lang-Safety
• CJ Campbell-RB

Several of these players have college experience at other college programs or were standout players in high school with other college offers. A prime example is running back Treshaun Ward, who got playing time in the season finale against Duke.

It was funny to see everyone ask who just scored a touchdown when he burst up the middle in the video below:

Ward joined the program in 2019 under Willie Taggart’s staff and had 19 offers, including schools like Maryland, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, FIU, Indiana, Marshall, UMASS, Minnesota, UNC, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, USF, and others.

Another walk-on to remember was Javien Elliott, who walked-on at FSU and played in his senior season in 2015. He went undrafted but signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.

Elliott ultimately played three years in the NFL between Tampa Bay and the Carolina Panthers.

Impact

The ability to bring in quality walk-on players provides a lot of advantages and most top programs have great preferred walk-on programs.

The better the walk on, the better the competition at practice, which ultimately makes the scholarship players better and raises the floor of the program. The more walk-on’s, the more quality reps players get.