FSU coach treats unsung heroes who prepare starters for every game

The work that goes into performing well on game day goes well beyond what we see on the field each week. FSU football scholarship players spend a lot of time honing their craft on and off the field. However, there’s a special unit of guys who are not on scholarship that help those scholarship players prepare for games.

The better those guys perform, the better the scholarship players perform, because iron sharpens iron. Some of those players got to play the last time FSU took the field against East Texas A&M. The hope is they’ll get to see some more action on Saturday against Kent State.

Related Story: Score Predictions/Analysis for Kent State Game

FSU defensive coordinator Tony White has a special name for these guys. They are the “Black Ops” unit. A military term used for teams that operate in the shadows without much recognition. These guys rarely get to play in games and spend much of their time grinding at practice in the shadows, while other players get the recognition on game day.

It was cool to see FSU defensive coordinator Tony White taking the “Black Ops” guys out for an outing to show his appreciation for their hard work:

We’re talking about a violent contact sport, where guys are out there because they love the game. There is no NFL in their future for 99 percent of them, and most will transition into the workforce for a real job after their time at FSU is done.

It’s cool to see FSU have a culture where everyone is celebrated because they have a job to do for one common goal. That culture has shown on the field through the first two games, and it has made all the difference in the world between this year and last.