Florida State CB Asante Samuel making noise with his play and his mouth
Asante Samuel Jr. insists he wasn't always a big talker on the football field.
Not like this anyway.
Before he got good at the sport, before he gained a super-sized portion of confidence, Samuel says he actually was a pretty quiet kid.
Well, if you've visited any Florida State football practices over the last two seasons, you know that quiet kid is long gone. He's been replaced by a brash, talented sophomore cornerback who can be heard all the way across the field shouting at teammates.
"I just love the game,' Samuel said. "And that brings out the best in our team. So whatever I have to do bring out the best in my team, I'll do."
Which in this context means he likes to talk. A lot.
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If Samuel breaks up a pass in a one-on-one or team drill, the receiver, the quarterback and maybe even the offensive coordinator are going to hear about it.
Heck, the entire offense might hear about it.
"It helps everybody," Samuel said. "Because now you want to go prove a point to somebody: 'Oh, I can do this route better than you, or I can go get open.' So it just brings out the best in everybody. That's why I really do it."
He's more than just a talker, of course.
Samuel backs up his words with his play. He is a former four-star recruit out of South Florida football powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, and he played in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2018. He started three of those final four games and led the team in pass break-ups with nine, which was the most by any freshman in the conference.
Now, Samuel is slated to start this year at the cornerback spot opposite Stanford Samuels III.
James Blackman, for one, expects big things from the sophomore.
"I know he's ready to go," Blackman said. "He's got a chip on his shoulder, and he can't wait to show it. … He is that guy. And a lot of people are going to be able to see that this year. I told him the first day he stepped in here that we're going to open a lot of people's eyes and surprise a lot of people.
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