Freshman WRs McClain, Burrell making big early impression for FSU Football
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Ron Dugans loved what he saw from freshman wide receivers Malik McClain and Joshua Burrell during the recruiting process.
But as confident as he was that they would be able to help the Seminoles in the future, FSU's third-year receivers coach wasn't quite sure how quickly they would be able to adapt to the college game.
To learn the intricacies of the position and, perhaps more importantly, be able to compete with much older defensive backs each day in practice.
The signs were positive during the winter strength and conditioning program, as McClain and Burrell established themselves as standout performers shortly after enrolling in January.
But Dugans had no way of knowing how they would fare in practice, going up against a bunch of third-, fourth-year and even fifth-year guys in the Seminoles' secondary.
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"The first thing you try to look for is what's inside of them," Dugans said. "You see them, they look good -- tall, [great] physiques and all that stuff -- they're working out with Coach [Josh] Storms in the weight room, looking good. And you're like, 'I hope we can do the same thing on the football field.'"
McClain, who stands 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, was a four-star prospect coming out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton. Burrell, who is listed at 6-2 and 217, was a three-star recruit out of South Carolina.
While all of their friends back home were still finishing their final months of high school, McClain and Burrell enrolled early at Florida State. And their reward was going 1-on-1 with a fifth-year senior like cornerback Brandon Moore and taking on big hitters like safety Brendan Gant in board drills.
That led to more than a little consternation for Dugans before the first spring practices two weeks ago.
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