The reasoning was simple for both. And in reality, it's the goal of most high school recruits who decide to enroll early: They want to play early.

But what makes the decisions by Florida State freshmen Malik McClain and Joshua Burrell so important potentially is that one — or maybe even both — have a legitimate chance to get playing time in 2021.

There's no guarantee, of course. But wide receiver is a position where newcomers can get on the field earlier than most. And at Florida State, there is definitely a chance for a newcomer to make an impact.

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"The decision to enroll early, back when I was a sophomore, I knew I wanted to get to college early," McClain said. "Get in and learn, not just for football but college in general."

McClain comes to FSU as one of the highest-rated recruits in Mike Norvell's 2021 class.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound receiver played his senior season at IMG Academy, finishing with 15 catches for 258 yards and three touchdowns in a COVID-shortened season. As a junior at Daphne High (Ala.) in 2019, he caught 26 passes for 424 yards and five scores.

McClain doesn't expect to slide into a starting role as a true freshman, and he certainly wasn't made any promises by the FSU coaching staff during the recruitment process, but McClain admitted on Monday that the prospect of getting on the field early played a part in his recruitment.

"I wouldn't go anywhere that was going to totally shut me out of the picture," he said.

As far as that recruiting process itself, McClain's was more of a winding road than a straight one. He committed to FSU as a junior, but then as his senior season wound down, he decommitted and said he wanted to take a step back and consider other options.