If Florida State doesn’t end up landing Kennedy Catholic School (Burien, Washington) linebacker Sav’ell Smalls, the Seminoles can find solace in the fact that they put their best foot forward in the widely unpredictable recruiting game.
“They gave me my name,” Smalls said. “That’s big.”
That’s right, Florida State didn’t only wow Smalls, ranked No. 6 in USA Today Sports’ Chosen 25, during a recent visit they also gave him a catchy moniker that he wants to be known by going forward: Juize.
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“Coach Odell Haggins was telling me during the visit about how much he loved the energy and personality that I play with,” Smalls recalled. “He said, ‘You’ve got the juice, but it’s not like regular juice because that runs out.’ Then he started thinking and thinking and he said, ‘Let’s call you Juize.’ I loved it.”
Smalls loved it so much that he changed his names on his social media pages to bear his new nickname.
That’s good news for the Seminoles who recently made Smalls’ top six (Alabama, Washington, Washington State, Florida State, Tennessee and Oregon).
SCOREBOARD: SUPER 25 | NATIONAL
As for the new name catching on, Smalls said it’s starting to stick with friends and fans.
“I had a couple of my friends ask me where it came from,” Smalls said. “Got some people starting to call me Juize now so it’s sticking. I’m definitely gonna stick with it. That’s not necssarily gonna make me commit to Florida State; that decision is separate and I don’t know what I’m gonna do right now, but coach has to get the credit for that one. That was all him.”
Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY
