The Florida State football team has 12 defensive backs with substantial college experience on its roster this preseason, including several who have started multiple games.

Jarvis Brownlee is not one of them.

Brownlee is a redshirt freshman who played in four games during the 2019 season, primarily on special teams. According to Pro Football Focus, he saw just nine snaps on defense.

Yet as Florida State pushes through its second week of preseason drills, the Miami native has emerged as a real contender for playing time at cornerback and is expected to be a featured starter on special teams.

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How has the redshirt freshman made an impact so quickly on a team that is absolutely loaded at his position?

FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said the answer is pretty simple: "He's been prepared when his number's been called. And he's made those plays."

While it's unlikely Brownlee will win a starting job in the Seminoles' defensive backfield, it's clear he has made his presence felt.

Every day after practice, Fuller recognizes defenders who created turnovers that day by posting "Mission: Takeaway" graphics on Twitter. Three times already, Brownlee has been highlighted for snaring interceptions.

And the fact that the redshirt freshman has limited college experience isn't much of a concern to a first-year coaching staff that has never worked with any of these defensive backs.

"He hasn't had a lot of playing time at this point," Fuller said. "And some guys have had more. But just 'cause you've played doesn't mean that you're ready. We've got some experience, but we need winning experience. We need to drive that home, and we've got to keep building that."

When preseason camp started, Brownlee knew he had a hill to climb if he wanted to earn substantial playing time in 2020. But that mindset is nothing new for a young man who grew up in a very tough part of Miami and who wasn't quite as highly decorated coming out of high school as several of the Seminoles' other defensive backs.

While Rivals rated him a four-star prospect in the class of 2019, every other major outlet ranked him as a three-star.

Brownlee, who is listed at 5-foot-11, 172 pounds, smiled Monday when asked about that fact and whether he carries a chip on his shoulder when he competes in practice.

"I would say I've been having a chip on my shoulder since I was little," he said. "So it's nothing new. I've been underrated. I'm just ready to show the world my technique and the man I really am on the football field."