Mature, Focused, And Driven, FSU Football's Kam Davis Isn't Your Typical True Freshman

The Seminoles have known for a long time the type of impact that Davis will provide on and off the field.

College football is quickly turning into a sport where loyalty and waiting for your chance to play is simply being tossed out the window. The modern age has provided an increasing number of decommitments and transfers as players take their futures into their own hands. 

While the addition of the portal and NIL have provided plenty of opportunities, the avenues have also led to some short-sighted decisions. Understandably, it can be a confusing process as players mix the now with the future. It takes a special attitude to remain loyal and driven with the way the sport has swiftly shifted over the past few years.

That's exactly why running back Kam Davis isn't your typical true freshman. Despite just turning 18 years old in January, he's already displaying the maturity, focus, and loyalty of someone double his age. Davis chose Florida State over three years ago following his freshman year of high school and never wavered on that decision.

Former FSU Football Standout Arrested in Las Vegas During Super Bowl Week

In fact, the Georgia native didn't even visit another school for well over a year before officially signing with the Seminoles in December. He was the first member of #Tribe24 and a key piece of why the class finished so highly in the recruiting cycle. Davis is proud of the trust that he and Florida State had in one another during the process.

"Just to be able to get here has been a blessing," Davis said on Wednesday. "Being committed for three years, it showed me that I had a lot of trust in the coaching staff and they had a lot of trust in me so being able to come and just work and put in the work with the guys that's here, it was truly a blessing for me."

Davis committed to the Seminoles before head coach Mike Norvell and his staff had secured their futures in Tallahassee. Months after his pledge, Florida State started the 2021 season 0-4 with an embarrassing loss to Jacksonville State. Despite the turmoil, he stayed firm and continued to believe in the process.

"I committed so early because the coaching staff was true and they always kept it real with me. Coach Norvell, coach YAC, they wasn't always pitching the sentence of 'you'll start when you get here' they always told me that I'll be developed," Davis said. "They told me that 'Florida State was a place where it was all about getting to the next level' so being able to grow as an athlete, a student and just a man in general, that was something I wanted from a coaching staff and a program."

The Tour of Duty is well underway with the Seminoles hitting the ground running in offseason conditioning. It's been an adjustment period as the workouts have been a little tougher than Davis anticipated. He's been honing in on his speed and keeping receipts in the process for extra motivation.

Davis already has a college-ready body at 5-foot-10, 215 pounds. He's in close contact with strength and conditioning director Josh Storms to trim off what little fat he has on his frame. That's already paying off as Davis doesn't look like a player who just arrived in Tallahassee at the beginning of the year.

Just Work🤫 pic.twitter.com/AzE4DP7mNd

— Kam Davis24 (@Kam_Davis24) January 30, 2024

"So far the workouts, I'm doing pretty good in them," Davis said. "Seeing them, I thought they would be a lot easier than they are but getting here, being able to participate in the Tour of Duty and everything has been a real challenge."

"So far I've been mainly working on building speed. The workouts and stuff, a lot of them focus on speed and conditioning so I've been taking that real heavy," Davis continued. "Also, I've been keeping receipts on Twitter, I've seen a lot of people saying I didn't have the top end speed so that's what I'm working forward to."

Coming in as a highly touted recruit, it makes sense that Davis wants to see playing time early in his college career. Right now, however, he's just keeping his focus on continuing to work and improve. The rest will take care of itself.

"Right now, the conversations are more of just getting the work in and progressing. Coach YAC, there's no conversations about who's going to start, who's going to play the most, nothing like that," Davis said. "He just wants all the running backs and the whole team to be able to get the work in, succeed, and just feed off each other."

Davis and fellow true freshman Luke Kromenhoek are expected to be two major pieces of the future at Florida State. Both from the Peach State, the two blue-chip recruits are more than familiar with one another after playing on the same 7-on-7 team during their prep careers. That connection only grew when they both pledged to the Seminoles.

"Me and Luke met through 7-on-7. Maybe ninth-grade year, we met in 7-on-7. We played on the same team for about a year and a half, we had a lot of great memories at tournaments so that kind of built that connection," Davis said. "Once he committed to Florida State it got a lot stronger. We were always competing during the recruiting process, trying to outplay each other, see who can get the most recruits to commit so that created a strong bond between us too."

Through every trial and tribulation, Davis has always triumphed and advanced to the next chapter. He's bringing that same determination to Florida State in his quest to be a dual-sport athlete. Outside of football, Davis will star on the diamond for the Seminoles in 2025.

"I've always been focused, determined to get to the next level at every chapter," Davis said. "It comes from my parents, seeing what they go through, seeing where we ended up and stuff like that. It was kind of motivational to me to make sure I could do everything I could do to help my family, help my little brother and just get to where I wanted to go as well."

His first chance to make an impact on and off the field will be this spring. It'll be an important period as Florida State works to replace the loss of Trey Benson. Despite a veteran group in front of him, don't count Davis out of the running. He's been overcoming obstacles and going above and beyond his whole life.

---

READ MORE: Potential Star Wide Receiver Returning To FSU Football In 2024

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the offseason.

Follow NoleGameday on Twitter and Facebook