Jalen Ramsey: Former Miami fan turned 'Cane slayer

Rivalry weeks are famous for producing bulletin board material. Players spout off, producing fodder for the opposition to use as motivation. But Florida State's Jalen Ramsey won't be giving any added fuel to Miami ahead of his Seminoles' clash with the Hurricanes on Saturday night-- in fact, despite being raised in Tennessee, Ramsey grew up on the other side of the rivalry, pulling for the 'Canes: "I just knew that it was, you know, the biggest rivalry in the state. I feel like even more so than Florida State and Florida, maybe. I was kind of a Miami fan when I was a little kid, so it was kind of different for me."

But before Seminole fans criticize what they may perceive as Ramsey's youthful indiscretion, they'd do well to consider his motive for supporting the 'Canes. It should come as no surprise, given Ramsey's uber-competitive nature, that, ultimately, this was much less about favoring Miami than about rebelling against the preference of those around him-- and the FSU faithful can certainly find common ground with him here:

"Everyone else in my family was Florida fans, so I'm always like the underdog. I like to go against people." To this, Miami can most certainly attest. In two wins against UM, Ramsey has eight tackles, one for loss, four pass break-ups, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble, an interception, and, just for good measure, a blocked kick.