FSU football: Which 2023 signees will contribute as freshmen?
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football did about what we thought they would do on Early Signing Day. The Noles went into the day with 15 commitments and a handful of unsigned players they targeted to sign.
Only one of those 15 commitments was on flip watch, and he did flip, unfortunately. FSU managed to add three-star athlete Edwin Joseph and three-star offensive lineman Christopher Otto.
Four-star safety Conrad Hussey flipped from Penn State and signed with the Noles Thursday night to likely finish up high school players joining the 2023 class. I think fans have unrealistic expectations for most freshmen based on their recruiting ranking.
Don’t get me wrong, because there are some sure-fire can’t miss prospects like Jalen Ramsey and Derwin James who can be impact players as freshmen, especially if they are early enrollees.
Defensive back is where most highly-rated players can see significant snaps as freshmen.
I’d say running back is an offensive position where players can contribute as freshmen as long as they are physically ready.
There have only been a handful of freshmen playing significant snaps at FSU over the past two recruiting cycles. Malik McClain, Kevin Knowles, Omarion Cooper, and Azareye’h Thomas come to mind.
The 2023 signees will see the majority enrolling early, which will be beneficial in accelerating their development. Let’s look at which 2023 signees we can expect to see as contributors next season.