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FSU football: Strength and conditioning impacting true freshmen

By Kelvin Hunt

TALLAHASSEE, FL - JUNE 13: A general view of the Unconquered Statue before a unity walk on June 13, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State players and members of the football coaching staff led fans and supporters on a unity walk from the Doak Campbell Stadium on the Florida State University campus to the state capitol building in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protests erupted across the nation after George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - JUNE 13: A general view of the Unconquered Statue before a unity walk on June 13, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State players and members of the football coaching staff led fans and supporters on a unity walk from the Doak Campbell Stadium on the Florida State University campus to the state capitol building in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protests erupted across the nation after George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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One thing that’s been noticeable about FSU football players during the downward slide in recent years is the lack of strength and conditioning.

The issue goes back to a couple of seasons after the national championship in 2013. Somehow the strength and conditioning aspect of the program seemed to fall off and players were not held accountable.

It probably stemmed from the S&C coach (at the time) not being held accountable for an off-the-field issue. Willie Taggart brought in a guy that wasn’t qualified at the highest level to run his strength and conditioning program, and it’s one of the reasons why the guys had issues with so much cramping in games.

They did not have optimal conditioning, and they got bullied all over the field, despite having the more talented roster on paper.

It’s a task Coach Storms and staff had to tackle last season but didn’t get to make much progress due to how COVID-19 impacted their inaugural season.

That hasn’t been the case in 2021, and it looks like the progress is showing up among the freshmen.

One noticeable unit that needs to get bigger is the defensive ends Patrick Payton, and George Wilson. Payton weighed around 2010-12 pounds and is already tipping the scale at 225 pounds.

George Wilson weighed in at 189 pounds upon arrival and is over 200 pounds, according to his Wednesday interview.

Both players are long and lanky, and typically it’s more difficult for those types of bodies to put on weight. A good bit of the gains is water weight, as it’s not possible to add 10-15 pounds of muscle in a month. However, they could see huge gains strength-wise, especially when players begin new training methods different than in high school.

It’s a promising start for two players who could become impact players at a position that’s lacked impact since Brian Burns left in 2018.

Byron Turner Jr. is one defensive end that came in closer to physically being ready to play. He checked in at 237 pounds and hopes to compete in the season at 250-55 pounds.

Final Thoughts

It’s great to see these young players come in with such a worker’s mentality. When asked about the recent NIL policy, they understand they have to put in the work and get results on the field before they can take advantage of getting paid for the name, image, and likeness.

Here to hoping these young players continue to put the work in so they can see results as they gain experience in the program.

Next. Impact of Josh Storms S&C Hire. dark

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