'It's insane' ... Walk-ons Grothaus, Martin step up big for FSU football

Parker Grothaus and Tommy Martin have more than made the most of their opportunities in their first two career games for the Seminoles.

"It was a dream come true," said Grothaus, who handles the kickoff duties. "I never thought I'd be here. Nobody really gets to do that from where I'm from. I'm from a small high school, a small town, so it's a really cool experience."

Grothaus, a sophomore, graduated from Indian Lake High School in Ohio. It has an enrollment of 484 students and is located in a city, Lewistown, that has a total population of 691.

So, yeah, Doak Campbell Stadium is a pretty big deal to someone like Grothaus.

"Oh, it was crazy," he said. "Me and my best friend are like the first two to do it (from Indian Lake). He's at Morehead State for baseball. But he was sending me pictures of me on TV and everything. It's just huge. Everyone is happy for me."

Including FSU fans who have watched him boom seven touchbacks in his 11 kickoffs over the last two weeks. Of the four that were returned, only one has gotten past the 20-yard line. So the average starting field position for opponents on Grothaus' kickoffs has been their own 23.5-yard line.

Against Virginia last Saturday -- in front of a packed stadium on the road -- he crushed four of his five kickoffs through the end zone.

"I might just be too dumb for the moment, but it didn't really affect me that much," Grothaus said of the big stage.