TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Florida State standout safety Derwin James always knew he was going to play football on the game's biggest stage.
And there was never any question for which college football team he would be playing for.
Sure, his father was a University of Miami fan, his mother liked the Florida Gators and his step-father liked Florida State, too.
But there was just something about seeing Chief Osceola planting the spear atop Appaloosa horse Renegade that deeply resonated with James as a youngster.
James inked a Florida State tattoo on his left shoulder as a ninth grader _ before FSU coach Jimbo Fisher offered him a football scholarship to play for the Seminoles.
While Miami was the second school to give him a scholarship offer and Florida later entered the mix during his junior year of high school, James already had his mind made up.
"I knew where I was going. I knew I was going to Florida State," James said. "I got the tatt on me in ninth grade. I knew back then where I wanted to be."
James, Florida State's most enticing NFL prospect, will play his second game in FSU's storied rivalry with Florida on Saturday when the Seminoles and Gators meet at noon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Both teams enter the game in the midst of disappointing 4-6 seasons, but FSU has an opportunity to become bowl eligible with two games remaining on the schedule.
As James' junior season winds to an end, his presumable jump to the NFL will also come. And he's looking to make one last impression in the series by helping FSU win its fifth straight game over UF.
"I only got to play them over there. I never got to play against them at home," James said. "It seems like I can only play them over there, so I have to make the most of it."
James has taken some time to truly get back into form this season after missing most of his sophomore campaign due to a torn meniscus.
NFL scouts, executives and college football fans may not have seen James produce the same game-changing plays he delivered as a freshman earlier this season. But that has certainly changed in recent weeks.
Against Delaware State last week, James secured his third career interception and his first career touchdown. During FSU's game against Syracuse on Nov. 4, James tipped a potential game-tying field goal that gave the Seminoles their first home win of the season.
James is FSU's second-leading tackler with 65 total tackles and four tackles for loss, a sack and a team-leading 10 pass deflections this season.
"(He's) getting in a groove to play in," Fisher said of James. "You've got to remember, he started partially as a freshman, still finding his way. All of a sudden, gets hurt right off the bat as a sophomore and then he comes right back to play at the beginning of this year.
"Everybody's got this world of expectation, and then he plays well. I mean, it takes the time to play yourself into it. He's into a groove."
Added James: "I'm starting to feel myself. I'm starting to get a feel of getting comfortable like I was before the injury. I see a lot of plays on film that I'm making in practice and taking it to the field."
As a youngster growing up in Haines City, James loved playing offense, but the only position available on the varsity when he was a freshman was safety. James quickly learned how to play the position by watching film.
Now, his college football career is winding to an end with NFL first-round prospect aspirations coming to fruition.
James may have two or three games remaining at his dream school, and he's trying to make the most of it for himself and the Seminoles.
"I used to tell people all the time I'm going to play on TV one day," James said. "Sometimes they'll laugh _ you know how people are. Some people try to kill your dreams as a kid.
"But I knew I was going to be here."
