It’s no secret that Florida State has been one of the most successful teams in the portal. It’s not just talent from fellow Power 5 programs either as they’ve managed to grab underappreciated talent all the way down at the Division 2 level. Regardless of what recruiting sites will tell you, sometimes less is more when it comes to recruiting and FSU is showing everyone why that’s the case. It’s one thing to do a full roster reload in the portal a la Colorado but FSU has shown a meticulous scouting process that’s landing them plenty of recruits with key attributes making their seven portal commitments worth more than schools who’ve already landed double-digit portal commitments.
Competitive Toughness
You’ve probably heard plenty of announcers say something along the lines of “this team just wanted it more tonight” when watching a big game. Lots of people take issue with a line like this- obviously all the kids involved want to win big games and leave their legacy at the school. There is a semblance of truth in these kinds of statements and it describes what many people in the industry call competitive toughness. Competitive toughness is one of the traits that applies to everyone and is seen in various position-specific factors, such as a QB maintaining poise after a bad interception or a player’s ability to zero in on third down. Jaheim Bell is a textbook example of this trait and his very good competitive toughness is exactly why he’s going to be hearing his name called at the next level one day.
Enjoy South Carolina motioning TE/H-Back Jaheim Bell into their backfield and handing him the football. pic.twitter.com/SdXOoRm081
— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) August 26, 2022
Jaheim Bell is an extremely versatile athlete thanks to his physical toughness and willingness to fight through contact. While he’s not the best blocker in the world, he shows a willingness to do so for his team which is something less and less tight ends want to do in a world where Travis Kelce and George Kittle are NFL teams’ top passing targets. In the clip above, you can see him line up in a split-back formation and take a handoff around the corner into multiple defenders. As he gets into the open space you can see him lower his shoulder into the corner and attempt a stiff arm on the safety crashing to the sidelines. Most players with adequate or worse competitive toughness have the first instinct to avoid contact and cut back inside but Bell shows a great example of his willingness to hit and winds up gaining some extra yards on the play because of it. FSU’s portal class is full of players who aren’t scared of contact and show very good competitive toughness across the board, whether it being the physicality of their play, their ability to turn it on in big games, or their trust in themselves and the rest of the team to turn around a game that got away from them early and continue to fight.
Size
Size may be the one trait that old-school, traditional coaches and new-age, analytical ones can both agree on. The analytics line up with traditional knowledge here as size continues to be a great indicator of success at the next level. It feels like more and more coaches get caught up in trying to find their scrappy little underdog who ends up overcoming the odds to be a key player which is causing some teams to get smaller and smaller. There are players that beat the odds but let’s get one thing straight- the bigger guy will always have a natural advantage in the game of football.
FSU’s transfer class has given them the opportunity to increase their size across the board with commitments coming from DL Braden Fiske and Darrell Jackson, TE Kyle Morlock, and OL Jeremiah Byers and Keiondre Jones. No one wants to be the team that’s physically outmatched and all of these commitments bring incredible size to the team. Morlock, a D2 prospect out of Shorter, brings elite size to the team standing at a staggering 6’7 with a filled out frame weighing 250 lbs. Byers has the size to be a reliable starting left tackle at 6’6. Fiske has the size and power to play anywhere across the line and did so in multiple packages while at Western Michigan.
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Despite being listed at 6’5” and 300 pounds, Western Michigan uses Braden Fiske on the EDGE a ton. I am here for it. pic.twitter.com/opS7qNCICl
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) September 24, 2022
Fiske is the crown jewel of the big men in this portal class but it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to make sure you’re just as big or bigger across the board than the teams you face on Saturday and FSU has shown a commitment to that with this class. That’s not to say having very good to elite size immediately means you’ll be successful in college football, but not having that size puts you at a far greater disadvantage no matter how refined your technique gets. Lots of players have great film at the high school level but are lacking in size which results in them getting bullied in practice and never cracking the starting lineup. A commitment to keeping both sides of the ball big will give FSU huge dividends down the road.
Even with all of this, I haven’t gotten into Fentrell Cypress who, barring any surprises in the coming weeks, should remain the top corner prospect in the portal this cycle. He’s on a whole other level in his own right and certainly has many positives we’ll be breaking down in a full scouting report soon. FSU’s scouting of the portal for key traits have allowed them to bring in playmakers from every level of play that are sure to help contribute to what should be another excellent season next year.
