Tallahassee Lincoln five-star receiver Fred Rouse ended months of speculation Wednesday afternoon by signing with Florida State over his other finalist, the University of Alabama.

After the ceremony, Rouse spoke with the media. Here are some of the highlights from that conversation:

Said Jeff Bowden erased any concerns he had about Florida State's offense:

"I talked with Coach [Jeff] Bowden, and we got it straight," Rouse said. "I went over a couple of times, we ran through a couple of plays. Just seeing how can he get me the ball if I came to Florida State. He showed me at least 15 legitimate ways, and that impressed me."

On the importance of staying close to home:

"I've got a lot of family here," Rouse said. "Not just my parents, but a lot of people around here that care about me."

Said he dreamed of playing at FSU since he watched Warrick Dunn and Charlie Ward playing for the Seminoles:

"I've been a kid growing up on Florida State since I was about 7 years old," Rouse said. "I felt good at home, and that's where I want to go."

On his chances of qualifying academically:

"I'm doing pretty good. You will see me on that field on Sept. 6."

On the Internet rumors that he was going to skip Signing Day and visit Texas the following weekend:

"Texas changed a lot of things," Rouse said. "They changed my visit. We set a date … and they changed it. With a process like this, it's not like people are going to wait. So I had to move on, and that's what I did."

Said he has had several conversations with FSU freshman quarterbacks Xavier Lee and Drew Weatherford:

"I said, 'Are you guys mentally prepared to try to go out and win a national championship,'" Rouse said. "Those guys said, 'Yeah.' And I said, 'Hey, we're going to out and start preparing no later than March. We're going to go out there and get reps. Because when they [the Miami Hurrcianes] come to Doak Campbell, we want to be ready.'"

On whether No. 1 will definitely be his number at FSU:

"My name's being engraved on my locker right now as we speak," Rouse said.

When asked if he was concerned about the lack of offensive linemen in this recruiting class, he pointed to Cornelius Lewis and Courtney Abbott, who were in attendance:

"Nah, as a matter of fact, I've got one of my big offensive linemen right here, Cornelius," Rouse said. "We've got no problem with that. We're going to get out there and we're going to work hard. This is my hometown. I'm coming in and I'm going to push everybody to get better."

On what has kept FSU out of the national title picture:

"A playmaker," Rouse said. "I've been watching their whole season. They've just been missing that one guy who can … you know, a gamebreaker. They haven't had one since Peter Warrick."