Most normal people wouldn’t be thrilled about stepping onto a scale and seeing it creep ever so close to 300 pounds.
Florida State center Alec Eberle was elated.
The Seminoles’ redshirt sophomore center, who started the final six games of the 2015 season and brought some stability to a position that had been a sore spot, made packing on muscle one of his top priorities of the offseason. So when he tipped the scales at 299 pounds after the Seminoles reported for preseason camp, Eberle felt like he had scored his first victory of the year.
And like with any win on the field, the Virginia native said it was the culmination of months of hard work and dedication.
“I was eating what I saw,” Eberle said with a smile. “I went home for a couple weeks, and my parents own a restaurant. I ate the mess out of that restaurant. … I really wanted to gain the weight, but I didn’t want to just get fat. So I ran, I did extra work. I lifted a lot.”
When Florida State signed Eberle for the Class of 2014, he was highly rated as a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 4 center. But at the time, he carried only 275 pounds on his 6-foot, 4-inch frame.
As a freshman at FSU, he was listed at 282. Last year, the Seminoles listed him at 294.
While FSU is only a few days into preseason camp – and Thursday was the first day in full pads – Eberle said he already can feel a difference.
“I’m able to hold my ground better,” he said. “Push the pile more.”
Girth will likely never be Eberle’s greatest attribute. Of the Seminoles’ 19 scholarship offensive linemen, he is one of only three below 300 pounds – the others are backup center Corey Martinez and true freshman Josh Ball.
