Weekly column Sponsor: JFQ Lending
Contact: Chris Sabanosh / csabanosh@jfqlending.com / (480) 562-6267
When Florida State's football players begin their formal summer workout program on Tuesday, June 1, there might not be a player on the roster more excited than tight end Koby Gross.
The California product, who signed with the Seminoles in December out of junior college, has not played in an organized football game since his senior year of high school in 2018. He took a planned redshirt year as a freshman in 2019, and then his 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.
This past year wasn't a total waste, however, as Gross moved to Tampa last summer and finished his junior college classes online.
Before making his way to Tallahassee, Gross spoke with Warchant.com about his training regimen during the last year, how he has changed his body since high school, his unusual recruitment during a pandemic and more.
***Don't miss out on our great FSU Football coverage. Get your 30-day FREE trial!***
Q: So when did you finish your classes in junior college, and what have you been up to since signing with Florida State?
A: I finished my classes on the 21st. That was my last final. And outside of school, I've mainly been working out, running and stuff. Working on route-running and all that. I've been running routes more than anything, just focusing on that and doing a lot of one-on-ones. That's what the coaches want -- they want me playing more in the slot and in the backfield really.
Q: So are you still out in California? Do you have teammates out there to work out with?
A: No, I actually moved to Tampa last August. So I've been working with a lot of guys down here. The guy that I work with, Stephen Garcia, was a quarterback at South Carolina. I work with him, and he normally has a lot of people that come out and we do one-on-ones. It's real fun, and it gets me better because there's a lot of current college guys and guys that are going D-I, so it's getting me a lot better. Getting used to the speed and everything.
And I talk to Coach Thomsen (FSU tight ends coach Chris Thomsen) about it a lot. And he just wants me to stay on that because they want me playing more in the slot than with my hand in the dirt.
Q: What size are you now?
A: I'm 6-3 and 238. I've been around 235 to 240, and that's where they want me at.
Q: So does Stephen Garcia actually throw when you're out there? He only played like a decade ago.
A: Yeah, he throws sometimes. He'll get out there. But he's a quarterback trainer, so he has a lot of quarterbacks. But he throws sometimes. It's real good work though.
Q: How did you hook up with him?
A: When I moved to Tampa, I tweeted out that I need a quarterback to throw with in Tampa. And this guy sent me a DM and sent me Garcia's information. And I texted him, and he's like, "Yeah, come out." And then I came out that next day. So I went over to his house, and then he's probably been my best friend since I've been in Tampa. I've just been over at his house all the time, training with all these quarterbacks and other receivers.
Q: How often are you able to get out on the grass and do that?
A: Probably like four or five days out of the week. I'm only lifting two or three times a week because I've been doing more conditioning. On June 1, that's when we start -- we're gonna hit the field hard in Tallahassee with the whole conditioning stuff. They just want me to be ready for that.
