Signee Update: OL Jaylen Early ready to 'make a difference' for Seminoles

While 12 of the Florida State football team’s 16 signees in the class of 2022 have enrolled early for the spring, a handful are taking the more traditional route and will join the Seminoles this summer.

Consensus four-star offensive line signee Jaylen Early officially became a Seminole in December when he signed with FSU, and now Early is just a few months away from realizing his dream of becoming a college football player.

Early spoke with Warchant.com recently about how excited he is to get to Tallahassee, the vision he and his classmates have for the Seminoles, and how his mentality has changed now that he is preparing for life in college.

“It’s really a different type of transition to the college type of atmosphere,” Early said. “Having a different type of mindset with a different type of work ethic. It’s really a smooth transition. I see myself developing as a player, a man, a student.”

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Since the 2022 class always tries to stay in touch with each other, Early has heard plenty from his new teammates about what he can expect.

“It’s really cool. We talk about it all the time," Early said. "I look at the apartments and dorms and I look at Tallahassee. I look at all the stuff around there all the time. I just can’t wait. Me just seeing myself there in a couple months, it's just mind-blowing to me.”

He also is keeping tabs on how FSU head coach Mike Norvell runs offseason conditioning, spring practice and all facets of the team. Early said the January enrollees have told him what to expect when he gets to campus so he can hit the ground running.

“They tell us the workout stuff they have to do," Early said. "Just how different it is. You just mainly have to be a different type of person when you go to college and adjust to it.”

The day after Early signed with FSU, his new position coach, Alex Atkins, was promoted to offensive coordinator. The four-star lineman said he is eager to begin his career under Atkins, who he called smart, passionate, and someone who, “really cares about the players he coaches.”

“I can’t wait to play with him. I really respect him," Early said. "He’s probably one of the most honest and straight-forward dudes I have ever met. He was honest with me. … I feel like that’s important. I feel like that’s a necessity that I needed with my personality.”

Once he finishes his high school days in Duncanville, Texas, Early will travel nearly halfway across the country to continue his football career. While the distance was a bit of a concern at first, he said FSU was too great of an opportunity to pass up.

“It was really tough at first. But me and my mama, we talked through it and we thought that it was the best choice for me,” Early said. “If that’s what puts me in the best possible position to be successful, then that’s what it's going to have to be. It’s a business decision, not a personal one.”

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As far as his personal goals, Early hopes to start playing at FSU as soon as possible, but he also wants to be a leader on campus and, “to make more kids want to come to FSU,” in the future.

When it comes to his goals for FSU during his career, Early hopes the 2022 signing class can change the program in a positive way.

“I see us becoming the team that they used to be,” Early said. “Especially with this recruiting class, this coaching staff. I see the team slowly coming together with the new recruits we got.”

Even though Early is transitioning to a new part of the country, he’ll have one of his high school teammates, FSU tight end signee Jerrale Powers, alongside him to help smooth the transition for each.

“That’s really cool. I feel like I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I am going to college with one of the guys I started playing football with in high school when I was a sophomore," Early said. "We’ve definitely gotten much closer since we’ve both committed. I am really glad that we both made that decision.”

With five offensive lineman signed and a sixth verbally committed in four-star Antavious Woody, Early takes pride in knowing he is part of a stellar FSU offensive line class.

“I am really excited that a lot of the great players in my class decided to go where I’m going to,” Early said. “We can make a difference at Florida State. Show everybody that FSU can be one of the best schools in the NCAA. I can’t wait to get down there.”

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