While most fans' attention has been focused on what's going to happen with the 2020 college football season and the 2021 recruiting cycle, Florida State's coaches obviously have also been looking ahead to the future.
On Wednesday, the Seminoles secured a commitment that could pay off in a big way when that time comes.
Orlando Edgewater standout Cedric Baxter, who has racked up more than a dozen college offers, announced he has committed to the Seminoles. He is a high school sophomore and FSU's first commitment for the Class of 2023.
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Baxter, who rushed for 10 touchdowns as a freshman last season at Edgewater, lists offers from schools such as South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Auburn, Kentucky and West Virginia.
While he appreciated all of those offers, Baxter told Warchant earlier this month that Florida State has always been a dream school and that he loves everything about the new coaching staff.
"My Dad was a really big Florida State fan, and I also grew up loving them," Baxter said. "I started watching them when they started taking off, so that was part of the reason too. But I also love FSU because of the coaches. The new FSU staff is amazing. I love them. I have a great relationship with all of them, especially grad assistant Marcus Davis and FSU running backs coach David Johnson."
Baxter said he has known Davis for years, and that connection only intensified his interest in the Seminoles.
"I actually know Coach Davis personally," the talented athlete said. "Here's the thing -- we are both from the same area in Boynton Beach. So when I was little, I would go to all his games at American Heritage, and he was the quarterback for them. So from that time, we got a personal connection."
* On the Premium Recruiting Board: More details on Baxter's commitment and what it means for FSU recruiting
The 2023 phenom also has a great bond with Johnson, the Seminoles' recruiting coordinator and running backs coach.
"We actually talk every Thursday," Baxter said. "He just wants me to stay on track in doing what I'm doing with work. We break down my film. He loves my film. He tells me because I'm so tall, he wants to see me get lower on my runs."
Baxter added that he talks with someone from the FSU staff nearly every day.
"They keep it real," he said. "They are really cool people and actually people you can sit down and talk with. It doesn't always have to be about football. We talk about a lot of different things outside of football. I feel a closeness with a lot of the staff."
It's not all about relationships, however. Baxter said he has also done a lot of research into the offense Mike Norvell runs, from his time at Memphis.
"If you watch Antonio Gibson, who was drafted in the NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, and you look at him and how Coach Norvell used him at Memphis -- as a mixture of a running back and receiver -- that's how FSU is going to utilize me. He's a 6-foot-2 running back, so I feel I can do some of the same things in making special plays happen."
Baxter says he measured in recently at 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds.
And while his physical skills are immense, especially for such a young prospect, Edgewater coach Cameron Duke says that's not what sets Baxter apart from most players.
"He's far beyond his years when you watch his approach, how he prepares, works out ... and he's such a very smart kid," Duke said. "He has great leadership qualities. And for a kid that just turned 15 (recently), that's a special quality. He never misses a workout. He's a leader. He's going to play running back for sure for us, but he is so athletic he can play a lot of other positions as well.
"He was the only freshman we had on the varsity last year. ... CJ is so special because he has such great vision. He can put his foot in the ground and hit that top-end speed and finish those big runs."
