Florida State Football Freshmen

Being a Freshmen in college is such a beautiful thing with all the freedom, the bars, and obviously the beautiful girls on Florida State's campus. It is likely everyone's most memorable year at any university, but freshmen year can be completely different for athletes at Florida State, especially the football players. These guys can have all the pressure in the world and the speed of the game is often a huge wake up call for players who have always been physically dominant their whole lives. This year's recruiting class has brought a good number of high profile recruits, Johnathan and I watched them practice two Sundays ago and all I can say is that we were very impressed with how big and talented some of these kids were. The future looks bright for Florida State football, below is a brief summary of a few of the freshmen that opened our eyes the most.

#3 Derwin James (Defensive Back 6-3, 212 lbs)

Here at Renegade Sports, we are excited to watch the Derwin James Era begin and we were excited to finally watch him live. Boy, did he not disappoint as Derwin James is everything you could want in a defensive back. Physical Specimen? Yep. High quality trash talk? Yep. That certain swagger that all great FSU defensive backs seem to have? Evidently clear. The last skill was clearly evident when the receivers and defensive backs went at it during board drills and James, not Jalen Ramsey, was making the most noise. At one particular point, Derwin completely dominated sophomore receiver, Ja'Vonn "Pigg" Harrison, and put him on his ass all while somehow knocking his helmet off. "Pigg" was not particularly pleased but James let him know in front of the FSU faithful that he is ready to make some noise this year.


#5 Da'Vante Phillips (Wide Receiver 6-1, 210 lbs)

The Miami Central product, and former teammate of Dalvin Cook, will provide the 'Noles with a receiver that is not afraid of contact. He has a certain swagger about him that leads me to believe he will make his fair share of catches over the middle of the field. It is probably his hair, but Phillips reminds of former Seminole, Willie Haulstead. Similar to Haulstead, Phillips will provide toughness and a mean streak on the field to muscle out defenders for a big catch or clearing space for a running back or fellow receiver. During the open scrimmage, he seemed to run routes well and caught pretty much everything thrown to him. Look for Phillips to get a little playing time this year as he prepares to be a big part of the Seminoles' receiving corps for the next couple of years.

#9 Jacques Patrick (Running Back 6-2 235 lbs)

Seeing Patrick in person for the first time, I was very impressed at how well he moved for such a big guy. Sadly, I didn't get to see him do anything similar to this, but I can definitely see Jacques running over a defender or two this upcoming year. No matter what happens with the Dalvin Cook situation, Patrick will see carries this year. If Cook is kicked off the team look for Patrick to split carries with Mario Pender as this could still be the most fearsome backfield in the ACC. If Cook is proven innocent, then I believe Patrick will have a role similar to Karlos Williams during the 2013-2014 season as a red zone specialist. Given his big body and ability to keep his legs moving forward, he may be our best running back near the goal line. My bold prediction for Patrick this year, no matter the running back situation, is for him to have the most rushing touchdowns of any running back on FSU's roster.

#9 Josh Sweat (Defensive End 6-5, 237 lbs)

SWEAT IS AN ABSOLUTE FREAK, most people do not recover from a torn ACL and dislocated knee in less than a year. He was the #1 player in the ESPN 300 before this injury, so in a sense Florida State got a steal when he fell to #11. We should not rush Sweat (even though the media really wants him to start from day one) but word out of practice is that he has been a full participant for most of fall practice. During the spring semester I would walk to class and see Sweat at least twice a week and was blown away by the physical freak he is. I was also jealous of the golf cart that he rode in order to get to class while recovering from his ACL tear, I asked once if I could ride with him but I guess he didn't hear my request. My hurt feelings aside, Sweat is even scarier in full pads. At the open practice, he seemed explosive and ready to be on the field September 5th against Texas State. For a team that struggled mightily to put pressure on the quarterback last year, look for Sweat to have an immediate impact when he is fully healthy. Seminole fans had better enjoy every minute of Sweat's three year career because he will be a first round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.

#11 George Campbell (Wide Receiver 6-4, 202 lbs)

We saw Campbell's big play ability in the spring game, and yeah I know the guys he was outrunning were walk-ons, but the kid has speed you just can't teach. While watching the practice, #11 kept making plays and I had no idea who he was because Campbell wore #6 during the spring. When it was finally brought to my attention that Campbell was the one catching my eye, I wanted to hit myself in the face as I felt like a fake fan. Anyways, Campbell was impressive and seemed to have put on a good bit of muscle since enrolling in January, yet he seemed just as fast. Sadly, Campbell suffered some sort of concussion on Sunday and has not been practicing that much in training camp. This is bad news because Campbell can give us a downfield threat, which we severely lacked last year. This now slows down his development and could keep him off the field. Once he gets healthy, Campbell will be our best big play receiver due to his size and speed. Look for Campbell to electrify Doak Campbell Stadium more than a couple times this year.

#12 Deondre Francois (Quarterback 6-1, 203 lbs)

This dude can flat out sling it. Sorry if that sounded too much like Trent Dilfer, but Francois had the most zip on his throws of the quarterbacks. Too bad we are very unlikely to see him play this year, but this guy is the future of Florida State. I believe he has the right amount of confidence to stay level headed and push his teammates to be their best. If he locks in and learns from Jimbo Fisher, Francois could lead FSU to a lot of victories. He definitely has the arm talent, all while being a threat with his legs to pick up a first down. Francois has struggled with some sort of foot issue during training camp, which slows down his learning curve on the field and hopefully allows him to really lock in in the film room. What I will be looking for from Francois is how he handles sitting on the bench and not playing, does he watch and seem disinterested or is he energetic and enthusiastic?

#15 Tarvarus McFadden (Cornerback 6-2 197 lbs)

Some media members thought McFadden had a serious shot at starting opposite of Jalen Ramsey, but I do not see that happening until maybe late in the season as McFadden has been sidelined with a hamstring issue. I was very disappointed to not see him practicing, but he definitely has the height and length that Fisher covets in his defensive backs. McFadden definitely needs to hit the weight room, but I can see him having a very successful career at Florida State. I'm interested to see how much playing time and experience he can garner this year.

#18 Auden Tate (Wide Receiver 6-5, 216 lbs)

Auden Tate is a grown ass man, plain and simple. I was immediately impressed with his size and physicality of a junior receiver, but the kid is only a freshmen. He also looked fluid running routes and seemed to have above average hands. Similar to Jacques Patrick, Auden Tate might be specifically used in the red zone this year. I could see him having a Greg Carr like impact in the red zone as a guy who can just go get the football. Auden Tate is destined for great things at Florida State as long as he stays hungry and stays out of trouble. Currently Tate is sidelined with a staph infection on his hand.

#80 Nyqwan Murray (Wide Receiver 5-11, 171 lbs)

This guy is my favorite out of all the freshmen, he wears #80 (Shouts out to Rashad) and has a haircut similar to Kenny Shaw - two of my favorite 'Noles. This kid is quick and shifty and could be a menace for opponents for years to come. During the one on one's we watched at the open practice he made a few elder defensive backs fall with his quick feet and change of speed. (The defensive backs will not be named to protect their feelings and pride) The immediate comparison is Kenny Shaw,  but the more I thought about it I decided that Nyqwan is a combination of Kenny Shaw and Bert Reed. Anyways, he is my favorite freshmen due to his route running, quickness, and above all, his swagger. I'm not exactly sure who will be returning punts this year, but I'm putting my vote in for Nyqwan Murray. By the time he leaves, he could set all kinds of punt return and receiving records.

I am ecstatic about this freshmen class and did not even address the freshmen on the offensive line, who Rick Trickett is really high on, or the defensive line. This class is important because it is their responsibility to continue the recent national dominance of Florida State. A good amount of this year's success will be based on how fast these freshmen adjust. There will be growing pains but what I am trying to say, 'Nole fans, is be patient and you will be perfectly happy with the end results because that Jimbo guy knows what he's doing.

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