The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

WITH the NCAA football season on the horizon, a local gridiron star is looking to find his place in the rotation for the defending national champions.

Mavin Saunders was named to the scout team by Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff as the team prepares for their season opener against the Oklahoma State Cowboys 8pm August 30.

Saunders, the 6’6” 252-pound true freshman tight end, has been impressive in Seminoles training camp showing flashes of athleticism that has him in the mix at a stacked position.

Saunders is one of two freshmen at tight end that will join a group led by incumbent starter and “John Mackey Award” finalist Nick O’Leary.

In an interview with Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel, Fisher expressed his optimism at the growth of the newcomers at the position.

“Those two freshmen tight ends [Saunders and Ryan Izzo] are really catching my eye, I think they’re really good players,” Fisher said. “The last three to four years, we’ve had 14 freshmen All-Americans. That’s almost three to four a year and there’s only 22 in the whole country. If you come in ready and you’re ready to play, we’re willing to put you on the field.”

The Seminoles played 12 true freshmen last season.

“You get them the information as quick as you’re legally allowed to get them the playbooks and the videos and the different things going on,” Fisher said. “And then get them here and we have these two-hour meetings that these upperclassmen take them under their wing and really show them, and we can’t do all those things. All those things are contributing factors. Their willingness to learn and their maturity level, that’s what I’ve been very pleased with. They’re going to be really good football players, I like them. They’re ready to contribute. They’ll need to because those other guys are upperclassmen, so we’ll find ways to get them in as much as we can.”

Saunders has been slowed by an injured hamstring throughout training camp, but has spent much of his time on the field working with the second team offence. He committed to the Florida State during his junior season with the Kinkaid Falcons.

He chose the Seminoles over Arkansas, Houston, Illinois, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Utah.

“There were a lot of positives about it,” Saunders said. “It’s close to home, and that was a major factor in my decision-making process.”

At Kinkaid, Saunders was rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports, ESPN and Scout, and a three-start recruit by Rivals. He was ranked the No.3 tight end in the country and No.23 player in Texas (No. 187 player overall) by 247Sports, was rated the No. 7 tight end and No. 45 player in Texas by ESPN, ranked the No. 14 tight end and No. 32 player in Texas by Rivals and Scout’s No. 9 tight end prospect.

As a junior he had 40 catches for 590 yards and six touchdowns and in his senior season he caught 35 receptions for 468 yards and eight touchdowns.

Saunders joined the Frank Rutherford Foundation Programme in Houston in 2009 as a basketball recruit and played the sport until his junior season when he made the transition to football.

“The recruitment process was crazy. It was at the point where I knew whenever the phone rang and it’s a strange number, it would be a new school to add to the list,” Saunders said. “I know I’m blessed to be in this position and I’m grateful for God giving me the talent to be able to pursue my dreams.”

The decision to pursue a career on the gridiron full-time has paid great dividends for Saunders as he joins an elite NCAA programme. He joins a list of Bahamian football players at FSU that includes Kamari Charlton, Devard Darling, the late Devaughn Darling and Myron Rolle.