Florida State football kicks off on Labor day at Pitt. Tomahawk Nation previews the season up until that date by analyzing every player and other key issues facing the 2013 Seminoles.
Freddie Stevenson | Freshman | Outside Linebacker | 6'1 230
School bio:
Enrolled at FSU in January and will take part in spring practice, providing him a jump on a class that is loaded with talented linebackers...attended Bartow High, the same school that produced long-time Seminole assistant coach Odell Haggins...a sure tackler who reportedly excels in run support both inside and outside...earned a 4-star ranking from PrepStar, Rivals and 247...Stevenson led Bartow with 83 tackles as a senior, including six tackles for loss, four of which were sacks...chose the Seminoles from a fine list of offers including Penn State, Louisville, Texas A&M and West Virginia...a strong student who also had offers from Duke and Vanderbilt.
2013 analysis: Stevenson is a player I felt was underrated for much of the the 2013 recruiting class. He has acceptable size for the position, and when healthy, simply makes tackles all over the field. I say "when healthy" because he had a leg injury in his high school career that limited him. He bounced back, and later in the process, so did his recruiting ranking. He picked Florida State over Texas A&M and Louisville.
Additionally, everyone says that Stevenson is a good kid, and someone who could eventually become a leader down the road. While FSU has had far less off-field trouble under Jimbo Fisher than it did previously, I won't say that about every player on the team. With Stevenson, however, I am comfortable saying so because of the number of people who have echoed the sentiment. He's athletic, a good kid and a hard worker. That's a combination that lends itself to being a good player down the road.
Stevenson is probably not going to be a starter in Florida State's new defense -- at least not in 2013. He is still adding size, and there are plenty of talented players in front of him. Stevenson enrolled early, which is a big help to all players, and he has taken advantage of the opportunity in the weight room. Look for him to fight for second team reps at linebacker (which linebacker position undetermined as of yet due to his versatility), and to contribute on special teams.