FSU football: Mike Norvell expects several freshmen to contribute in 2021

FSU football went with a youth movement in 2020 to expedite roster turnover and get players game experience in a year that was a lost cause.

One of the running themes from the 2021 fall camp is the freshmen standing out among their peers.

The Noles had several freshmen enroll early, and that process usually helps ease the transition from high school to college. The expectation is those players can usually become contributors quicker since they have a spring camp under their belt.

It looks as though that will be the case, according to

Mike Norvell

. He spoke with the media after Friday’s practice.

"“I think it’s a really good group. The ability that these guys have, I mean there’s going to be a good number, I’d say 5-6 that are going to have an opportunity to impact this team this year.” (4:45 mark)."

Here are the five to six freshmen that seem to be trending in the right direction to contribute this year:

• Kevin Knowles II
• Joshua Farmer
• Shyheim Brown
• Malik McClain
• Joshua Burrell
• Hunter Washington

All of these players enrolled early except for Brown and Washington. The latter two are defensive backs, and it’s not unusual to see freshmen get on the field in the secondary. That’s not the case with wide receiver, but McClain and Burrell enrolling early make that more of a possibility. Although, I’m still going to temper my expectations with those two.

Joshua Farmer, the first player to commit to Mike Norvell at FSU, has a tremendous work ethic and will likely see time in the defensive tackle rotation, especially as the season progresses.

Kevin Knowles II looks like he’s going to be a key player on day one. All he does is make plays on the field. We saw that in the spring game, and that has continued in fall camp.

These freshmen coming in and getting playing time is a great way to show the class of 2022, and beyond, the best players will play regardless of seniority. I’m sure playing young players will be frustrating at times, but the positives will far outweigh the negatives in the long run.