Rivals100 wide receiver Michael Redding has some longstanding connections to Florida State, including a pair of cousins who played for the Seminoles in the mid-1990s. But those ties wouldn't be enough to draw Redding to play his college football at Florida State, if he didn't like everything else about the program.
That's why Monday's visit to FSU was so important for the IMG product, who originally hails from Pensacola.
Redding not only got to see the campus once again, but he also got to spend time with some of the Seminoles' newest offensive coaches -- offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans -- along with head coach Willie Taggart.
"It was a great time," said Redding, who drove in from Jacksonville after enjoying a spring break cruise. "I've already seen all the facilities, locker rooms, so this visit was really being around the coaches. Spending time with Coach Taggart, Coach Dugans and Coach Briles. I already have a great relationship with Coach [Raymond] Woodie, so being around the offensive staff was the big thing."
Although he had communicated with Dugans before, Redding said spending time with the Seminoles' receivers coach in person was important.
"It was really good," the four-star prospect said. "He's a great guy. He's had some tough hardships in his life, and he's overcame them. Being around him more in a personal sense helped me feel a lot more comfortable with him."
When it came time to chat with Briles, the conversation focused on what the Seminoles' new offense is going to look like and also how the receivers will be used. From the sounds of things, that conversation could not have gone much better.
"He was very straightforward. Especially talking about his offense," Redding said. "He really explained it in great detail. I'm a playmaker, and he showed how this offense lets the receivers make plays all over the field. He gives receivers a lot of freedom, and he doesn't want to over-complicate things. And I really liked that. ...
"I watched film with Coach Briles. What stuck out was he doesn't over-complicate things. I would say the difference with this year is going to be the tempo. It's going to be much faster. Probably will pass the ball more, and we are going to have more threats downfield."
Redding also enjoyed spending more time with Woodie, who is the Seminoles' linebackers coach but also is his primary recruiter: "It's always great being around Coach Woodie because he's real about everything. Great guy."
