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Florida State football kicks off on Labor Day at Pitt. Tomahawk Nation previews the season up until that date by analyzing every key player and issue facing the 2013 Seminoles.
#13 Jalen Ramsey | Freshman | Cornerback| 6'1 195
Background (via seminoles.com)
Ranked as one of the top athletes in the nation at either wide receiver or corner...rated a five star prospect by both Rivals and Scout and a four-star recruit according to ESPN and 247Sports...US Army All-American....invited to "The Opening" on the Nike campus...ranked No. 10 on the Rivals 100, No. 14 on the ESPN 150 and No. 39 on the Top247...consensus top 5 selection at CB...listed No. 2 by Scout, No. 3 by Rivals, No. 4 by ESPN and No. 5 by 247Sports...the consensus top recruit coming out of Tennessee in 2013...sat out his sophomore season due to transfer rules but put up big numbers on offense and defense in 2011 and 2012...registered 95 tackles, four TFL, three INT, 10 PBU, two fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles...in 2012 he hauled in 31 passes for 676 yards and nine TDs...also rushed five times for 85 yards...ESPN lists Ramsey with a 4.54 time in the 40, a 40.9-inch vertical and a 130.32 SPARQ rating...committed to USC but chose FSU over the Trojans, Florida, Alabama, Oregon, Miami and more than 20 other schools.
Jalen Ramsey was arguably Jeremy Pruitt's crown jewel of the 2013 FSU recruting class. After being committed to Lane Kiffin and the USC Trojans for nearly 7 months, Ramsey flipped to FSU 2 days before signing day after being swayed by Pruitt and the FSU staff. He is the prototypical press corner and the exact type of physical specimen that Pruitt requires in his secondary.
Like many of the signees in the 2013 class, Ramsey showed up on campus ready to contribute from day 1. He possesses the length and athleticism to matchup with the ACC's best at WR. His elite athleticism in combination with his tremendous instincts and football IQ provide the Noles with another stud to add to a loaded secondary.
2013 Outlook
With an FSU secondary littered with talent and experience, many FSU fans wondered if there was any room for Ramsey to truly make an impact on the defense. But Ramsey quickly made his presence known on the field during fall camp. Jimbo Fisher praised Ramsey multiple times for his physicality and grasp of the complex scheme. With the release of the newly minted fall depth chart on Tuesday, Ramsey has found himself firmly planted in the 2 deep at cornerback. Clearly, FSU and Pruitt are placing a premium on size in the secondary so Ramsey supplanting a couple of talented FSU veterans shouldn't come as a surprise.
It will be interesting to see just how the defensive staff chooses to use Ramsey. Dustin Tackett and team have seen Ramsey line up at multiple secondary positions during fall camp. It is reasonable to assume that he will get significant burn in Nickel and Dime situations against the majority of the ACC teams on FSU's schedule.
Where Ramsey fits into the secondary rotation is yet to be seen. But with FSU expected to play a ton of DB's this season, it is reasonable to assume that we will see the 5 star freshmen early and often. A conservative estimate has Ramsey playing 100+ snaps this season; quite a statement for a freshmen fighting for playing time in a secondary loaded with blue chippers.