Recruiting quarterbacks begins so early that it’s a projection for a college coach — evaluating if a high school freshman or sophomore will develop on a trajectory to compete for a starting job at a Power 4 school.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell cast a wide net on quarterbacks early for the 2025 class. Among the two he and FSU’s coaches pursued were Kevin Sperry and Tramell Jones. Sperry picked up an offer in June 2022. Jones earned an offer in Sept. 2022.
The quarterbacks made their decisions early, with Sperry picking Oklahoma in March 2023 and Jones committing to FSU in April 2023. Jones remained pledged through dozens of trips from Jacksonville to Tallahassee.
Oftentimes all of the planning works out for a prospect and a program. And oftentimes it doesn’t.
Jones and Sperry had second thoughts late in the recruiting process, with Jones flipping to Florida on Nov. 14. Sperry also became curious about his options, flipping to FSU (despite not visiting since 2022) and sneaking in a visit to Tallahassee on the weekend before signing day.
“When the opportunity presented itself for us, it was obviously an opportunity to reach out,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “Kevin is an absolute home run for us. So excited about bringing him in for the player but also the young man. His family, even early in the process before he committed to another school, came out multiple times. We got a chance to really build a relationship there.”
Recruiting is at its core about relationships, and the connection between FSU’s coaches and Sperry made sense for both. It will be debated in the short term and for years to come which quarterback will have a better future in college football, but it feels like FSU has found a better fit for the Norvell-Gus Malzahn offense in Sperry.
Scouting reports from the Osceola staff on Kevin Sperry
Despite the late decisions by Jones and Sperry, the Seminoles have landed a quarterback who is more athletic and mobile compared to Jones (who is more of a drop-back passer). This could be an advantage for Sperry and the Seminoles, who again needed to rebuild the offensive line through development of high school prospects as well as the transfer portal.
While the Osceola staff has not been able to evaluate a full game of Sperry’s on film, highlights from his last two high school seasons (one in Oklahoma and his senior year in Denton, Texas) show a quarterback who is quick and athletic, passes with accuracy on the run and likes to throw deep. Improvement is also noticeable on his senior film compared to his junior year.
“What he does with his arm is special,” Norvell said. “What he does with his legs, it really is, it makes him very dynamic.”
Norvell reflected on seeing Sperry early in his career at an FSU recruiting camp.
“I'll never forget the first time I saw him out here on the practice field, going through our quarterback camp,” Norvell said. “You heard about a young man from Dallas that was going to be here, and he just exploded throughout the course of that day. It was impressive.
“Watching the ball jump off his hands, the accuracy, the kind of precision in the passing game that he showed there that young in his career, it really just -- the ball jumped out of his hand. That's when we offered him. I was very confident in what his career would be, and he's definitely not proved me wrong.”
Sperry will arrive in January to join a quarterback room that, for the moment, includes sophomore Luke Kromenhoek and redshirt sophomore Brock Glenn. Norvell and the staff are also weighing transfer portal options.
During his visit to Tallahassee, Sperry said, “I love what they’re about” at FSU. The Seminoles weren’t his first choice 18 months ago. But the relationship with Norvell and quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz was still there, and Sperry jumped at the chance to come to FSU.
“They were No. 2 for me behind Oklahoma,” Sperry said on Sunday. “I always loved coach Norvell and coach Tokarz. The spot opened up for me and I took advantage of it. I have nothing against Oklahoma. I just didn’t feel like that was the right spot for me. I feel like this is the best spot for me.”
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