Florida State Seminoles

[billy bob bocephus]

Prospects raving about FSU

'Noles draw high marks from committed, uncommitted players

By Ira Schoffel• Democrat sports editor• Published: June 21. 2011 2:00AM

It took awhile, but blue-chip tight end Christo Kourtzidis might have finally found something he doesn't love about Tallahassee and the Florida State football program.

The brutal summer heat.

"In California right now, it's about 70 degrees with a nice breeze," Kourtzidis said with a laugh.

That clearly was the only negative impression for Kourtzidis, an Orange County, Calif., native who is widely regarded as one of the nation's top tight ends in the class of 2012. He committed to the Seminoles this past weekend, and he felt right at home Monday at Jimbo Fisher's Football Camp.

"We really liked it on the first visit out here, but we had a couple other places to see," Kourtzidis said. "Everything seemed to fit here — the system, the city, the facilities — just the whole program that the coaches have in place. It just all seemed like a good fit."

Even with the blistering heat.

With precious little cloud cover and temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, a couple hundred high school football players wore helmets, shirts and shorts Monday while running through a variety of tasks — from individual skills work to one-on-one competitions to 7-on-7 passing drills.

And while many of the campers were there to receive expert guidance from Fisher's staff and to possibly get noticed for opportunities on the college level, others like Kourtzidis were simply hoping to get a better feel for the Seminoles' program.

Kourtzidis, who brings impressive size at 6-4 and 230 pounds, said he is excited about the quality of players Florida State is attracting. He is especially eager to line up with 2011 signee Nick O'Leary, who is rated the No. 1 tight end in this year's class.

"I'm not a picky guy," Kourtzidis said. "If I catch 20 balls or if I catch 75, it's no big deal. I just want to win some games."

Dozens of other top prospects are participating in Fisher's camp, which will conclude today, but the biggest buzz on Monday might have circled around a player who barely broke a sweat.

Barry Sanders Jr., a highly touted running back prospect from Oklahoma City, mostly just stood to the side and watched FSU running backs coach Eddie Gran put the other players through an assortment of drills.

"He's a very passionate coach," said Sanders, whose father was a perennial Pro Bowler with the Detroit Lions. "He enjoys what he does. He definitely emphasizes technique, and he just wants to make his running backs better."

Sanders Jr. is regarded as one of the nation's top running backs by virtually every major recruiting service, and his name causes a stir just about everywhere he goes. But the rising senior said he takes the attention in stride.

"I try to keep it as normal as possible," he said. "Not think too much of it. This is just the beginning. I've got a long way to go to be considered a great player."

This marked Sanders' second trip to the FSU campus, and he said the Seminoles likely will be among his finalists in the recruiting process. The 5-9, 180-pounder said he has hit it off with Fisher and FSU's other coaches, and he plans to make a decision after taking his five official campus visits.

First, though, he has to decide where those other four visits will be.

"This will be one of the places," Sanders said. "Then we'll decide about the other four."

[Dr. Nostron]

JimCro has things rolling along nicely!!

[billy bob bocephus]

word is, young mr. sanders self image in not tinged with any humility

[billy bob bocephus]

Taiwan Easterling is signing with the Chigago Cubs - he willnot return for his senior season with either the football or baseball Noles

Good Luck Tai...

[KeviNole]

Just a reminder, after the last couple of weeks...for 2012, FSU has commitments from:

5 star - 3 commitments
4 star - 8 commitments
3/4 star - 1 commitment
3 star - 1 commitment (expected to be 4 star before next year)

Add in the #1 or #2 kicker, and the #1 punter.

We won't have the #1 ranked class because it will be a relatively small class, but this will be the most talent-laden class I've ever seen at FSU. The rest of the ACC missed its chance during the lost decade, FSU will dominate the league starting in 2012, for at least 3 years. And we have a very good shot at winning the conference in 2011.

[KeviNole]

And to drill down...

Rivals #1 DE
Rivals #2 DE
Rivals #9 DE
Good chance at Rivals #1 DT
Rivals #9 DT
Rivals #13 DT
Rivals #3 LB
Rivals #1 QB
Rivals #4 RB
Rivals #8 DB
Rivals #11 OL
Rivals #13 OL
Rivals #8 TE

This Defensive Line is going to be SICK for years to come. Absolutely SICK.

You can add in a WR who ran the second fasted 100M in US HS history, and the #14 Rivals QB who will probably never see the field.

[AlabamAlum]

You got a good QB pick-up. Word is, though, if MLB offers him some guaranteed money, he's gone. I would have loved to have had him at Bama, but I'm very glad he didn't go to the third school he was considering: LSU.

[KeviNole]

And I wouldn't blame him at all if he went to MLB. It seems to have worked out for the last QB who ditched us for baseball....what was his name...John Mauer or something like that from Minnesota

From interviews today he seems committed to playing FB and BB at FSU, but that could be just to up the ante on a MLB signing bonus. If he never makes it to Tallahassee, I'm really high on Jacob Coker (no drug pun intended) and think he could be fantastic in a couple of years.

[AlabamAlum]

Yeah, you can't blame him for baseball with guaranteed money as an incentive.

[billy bob bocephus]

Coley: O'Leary as good as advertised

By Ira Schoffel
Democrat sports editor

When they signed him in February, Florida State's football coaches felt strongly that Nick O'Leary could be a difference-maker at tight end.

At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, he certainly would have the size to contribute as a true freshman. And the coaching staff's excitement only intensified when they started hearing reports from player-organized passing drills earlier this summer.

The feedback from several players was that O'Leary couldn't be covered.

But it wasn't until FSU hit the practice fields for official preseason workouts last week that offensive coordinator James Coley truly knew what he had.

"You say to yourself, 'What's gonna happen when he goes up against the No. 1 linebacker in the country, or the No. 1 safety in the country?'" Coley said. "Or he's gotta go block that No. 1 defensive end in the country. You have, not doubt, but you have that question in your mind. Then you watch him, and it kind of brings a smile to your face. You say to yourself, 'He is what he is.'

"And these other guys are going, 'Wow, I've got to cover this guy?' He's a talent."

While it was O'Leary's physical skills that wowed many of his teammates when he arrived on campus — senior linebacker Nigel Bradham called him "a receiver in a tight end's body" — Coley is equally impressed with the freshman's intellect.

"It's amazing how smart he is with the game," said Coley, who coaches FSU's tight ends. "He understands the game. And how mature he is. You sit around, you talk to him one-on-one and you say, 'Man, are you a freshman?' Especially talking ball, talking football. He has a different demeanor when he's talking football, and it's pretty impressive."

And if that's not enough to like, O'Leary also has impressed coaches with his old-school approach to practice. While almost all college receivers and tight ends wear gloves, O'Leary still plays with his bare hands.

"It's very unusual," Coley said. "Everybody says, 'Hey throwback.' … When you have a quarterback that's spinning the ball like the quarterbacks we have here, it can cut your hands open. So a lot of guys wear gloves to protect their hands from that. But he's old school. He's like, 'I can wear 'em, but I'd rather just feel the ball.'

"He plays the game hard."

[KeviNole]

And getting him will be doubly sweet when the "Jack Nicklaus Indoor Practice Facility" opens.

[Dr. Nostron]

Wonder if we are gonna put in plays in the playbook that call for a pass to the tight end?

[KeviNole]

I think you'll see some this year. Jimbo hasn't exactly been blessed with great pass-catching TEs since he's gotten here, Will Tye has potential and NOL will be a star.

[billy bob bocephus]

we have one QB and a suspect O line - EJ is going to need quick hitters to RBs and TEs to survive the season

[KeviNole]

Maybe he can bring Jeff Bowden in as a "bubble screen" consultant.

[billy bob bocephus]

heh

[billy bob bocephus]

a workmanship opening game - the special teams, especially the kick off coverage, looked good - d line and linebackers looked good - db's are still a question imo - relatively good production from a young receiving corp but the running game was a let down - good work on the most part from EJ - and last but not least the rookie back up QB came in and tossed a TD on his 1st attempt to a true freshman who made his 1st catch as a Seminole for a TD

I think ULM is probably better than next week's opponent Charleston - as of the end of the game yesterday we are not ready to face Oklahoma in two weeks

[dave_rickart]

there might only be 1-2 teams in the country that are....

[billy bob bocephus]

o.k. - we're also not ready to face LSU, Wisc, Alabama, aTm and probably several others...

[billy bob bocephus]

and the hits just keep coming...


Injury woes mount for FSU football

1:44 PM, Sep. 19, 2011

By Ira Schoffel
Democrat sports editor

While fans and media are eager to know the status of quarterback EJ Manuel, Florida State’s wide receiver corps sustained another major blow in Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma.

Sophomore Jarred “Scooter” Haggins, who had four receptions for 45 yards in the 23-13 defeat, will undergo surgery this week to repair a broken bone in his hand.

FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said Monday that Haggins sustained the injury during the game but didn’t complain about pain until afterward. Haggins will miss the Clemson game this week and could be out for four to six weeks.

FSU already has played the entire season without starting receiver Willie Haulstead (concussion), and senior Bert Reed missed the Oklahoma game with a sprained ankle. Sophomore receiver Kenny Shaw received a concussion on Saturday as well.

As for Manuel, who sustained an injury to his left shoulder Saturday, Fisher said the junior would receive an MRI today to determine if there is any structural damage.

Fisher said he believed the diagnosis would be a slight separation and it could be a “pain tolerance issue” as to whether Manuel can play this Saturday at Clemson.

Shaw's status will be monitored, but Fisher said the receiver has showed promising signs of a quick recovery