Recruited as a linebacker out of Bartow High School, Freddie Stevenson was worked hard in his transition to fullback and will get the start at that position. Although the fullback position is often overlooked on Florida State’s talent-rich roster, the shoes that Stevenson will be tasked with filling are very large ones.
The Seminoles have managed to have pretty good fullbacks over the years from Dayne Williams in the 1980s to Edgar Bennett, William Floyd and Pooh Bear Williams in the 1990s to the combination of B.J. Dean and Jerome Coleman in the mid-2000s.
The legacy of fullbacks at Florida State is actually pretty prominent though often overlooked. Over the past five years particularly, the Seminoles have managed to have very good blocking backs.
Stevenson will replace Chad Abram — a player who played his high school ball just about 16 miles from Stevenson’s hometown — in the starting lineup. Like Stevenson, Abram was converted from the defensive side of the ball and quietly had a stellar senior season for the Seminoles in 2013.
Although he was overshadowed by quarterback Jameis Winston and all the talent around him in 2013, Abram was solid as a blocking back and managed to find the end zone three times including for the go-ahead touchdown at Boston College and for the score that brought FSU to within one in the final quarter of the BCS National Championship against Auburn.
Prior to Abram manning the position, Florida State had one of the more versatile backs in its history at the lead back. Lonnie Pryor, a four-year starter, was a converted tailback in his own right.
Pryor used his speed to score 23 total career touchdowns and saved his best for last. In his final game at FSU, Pryor was named Most Valuable Player of the 2013 Orange Bowl rushing for 134 yards on just five carries including touchdown runs of 60 and 37 yards. The Seminoles downed BCS buster Northern Illinois that night for their first BCS bowl victory in 13 years.
In Saturday’s spring game, Stevenson relished his new role. Forced to carry the rushing load with starting tailback Karlos Williams out, Stevenson went for 85 yards on the ground on 18 carries while scoring the first touchdown of the game for the Garnet squad.
While Stevenson likely won’t have many 18-carry efforts during the 2014 season, he is shaping up to be another Florida State fullback that can make things happen with the ball in his hands. Though the sophomore looks to be yet another weapon in FSU’s already loaded arsenal, how he performs as a lead blocker will be most important to the Seminoles in the years to come.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
