Inside Saturday's FSU Junior Day Player Panel

On Saturday, Florida State football hosted its first Junior Day of 2016, an event at which recruits are given the chance to better familiarize themselves with FSU's facilities, campus, and personnel. A big part of that, for years now, has been the Player Panel, which gives prospects, along with their parents and coaches, the opportunity to ask questions of current Seminole players.

Following Saturday's FSU Junior Day, I had the opportunity to speak with one such insider, who was gracious enough to share some information about just what goes down during the Player Panel. This year's iteration was held in the Team Meeting Room where Florida State's post-game press activities transpire following home games. The panel emphasizes peer-to-peer interaction, as the only 'Nole coach present was Mario Edwards, Sr.

Comprising the Seminole Player Panel were 'Noles of varied experience, including some who had just wrapped up their own recruiting process as members of the 2016 class, like Josh Brown, Walvenski Aime, and Janarius Robinson. They were joined by returning 'Noles Dalvin Cook, Jeremy Kerr, George Campbell, and Justin Shanks. Questions posed spanned a broad array of topics, ranging from academics and housing to partying and how one should -- and should not -- use social media.

My source said that while young recruits (there were several high school freshmen in attendance) always like hearing from star players like Cook, parents also tend to value the experiences of the newcomers who've just finished the process in which their sons presently find themselves. I'm told that Brown and Aime were particularly impressive in imparting such wisdom, and that they were perhaps the "top two speakers" who showed that they're "really, really bright" and find themselves at the precipice of very successful careers as student-athletes.

The second FSU Junior Day will take place this coming Saturday, February 27th, and will once again feature the popular Player Panel. We'll be on the scene for all your coverage of this important recruiting event.