Our guy Corey Clark wrote this weekend about all the yards, touchdowns and tackles the Florida State football team has added through the transfer portal this offseason.
In all, there are eight new contributors who have combined to participate in more than 10,000 career snaps at their previous schools. And another similarly experienced player or two could still be on the way.
That's a big deal.
An infusion of talent is great. An infusion of experienced talent is even better.
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But for where this program is right now, I'm not so sure second-year head coach Mike Norvell isn't even more excited about the leadership these veteran players could provide for his young squad.
We already knew McKenzie Milton was a winner. We knew that from what he has done on the field and from what everyone at UCF has said about him. And those expectations were only heightened after listening to him speak with the local media for the first time on Friday.
While words aren't nearly as important as actions -- a point he made several times -- it doesn't take long to get a sense for Milton's passion, intelligence and maturity. And it's worth noting that the guy is 23 years old. He'll be 24 by the end of the 2021 season. As much as a potential starting quarterback, the Seminoles also are getting a legitimate coach in the huddle.
Again, that shouldn't come as a major surprise. Milton's journey and attributes are well-documented.
What some of us might not have realized before Friday is that Jermaine Johnson seems to offer many of the same characteristics. The former Georgia pass-rusher was extremely impressive during his time with the media as well, presenting an obvious confidence about his ability as a player while also expressing a desire to be a positive agent of change for a struggling program.
"I'm a strong believer that if you keep the team first, and you do what the team needs you to do, your individual success will come shortly after," Johnson said. "So if everybody thinks like that in the program -- you keep the team first -- I promise all those accolades, all those individual successes, those will come shortly after."
