Lorenzo Booker recalls emotions of Florida State making 2014 national championship

Former Florida State Seminoles running back Lorenzo Booker was recently back on campus. This was, surprisingly, Booker’s first return to Florida State since leaving the school after being selected in the 2007 NFL Draft.

With this being the former Seminoles running back’s first return to school in quite some time, he has missed a number of things in his time away, including the national championship run in 2014. But that national championship did provide Booker with an opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces as the game was held in his home state of California.

Florida State beat the Auburn Tigers, in a battle of the top-two undefeated, 34-31, in Pasadena, CA. When the team over at Warchant caught up with the former Seminole star, he explained what that experience was like for him.

“Amazing. Right there in California, too,” said Booker. “And it was really like a reunion for me. Leon came out and we pretty much spent that whole week catching. So, it was it was it was fantastic. But still, nothing beats being here.”

Booker’s first trip back to Florida State in 16 years was thanks to his son, Kaylin Booker, who is attempting to play for his father’s alma mater. But the former Seminole did lament that it took so long for him to return to the place he once called home. However, he did take a moment to let the Florida State fans know he will not wait too long to revisit the school, as he and his son will return during the season for a game visit.

Booker enjoys moment with son while visiting Florida State

Booker returned to Tallahassee with his son, Kayin, a rising junior in high school who participated in the Seminoles’ Elite Camp on Saturday and the Mega Camp on Sunday.

“I wanted to do the campus tour just as much as them,” Lorenzo Booker said, reflecting on how much FSU has changed since he left. “I felt like I needed it to a certain degree.”

Booker, who retired to his home state of California after his playing days, described watching his son run routes and catch passes inside Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday as, “surreal.” So much so that he had to step outside at one point to collect his thoughts.

“He was literally made in Tallahassee,” Booker said with a laugh. “He’s been hearing about it from me and his mother his entire life. Everywhere in the house is Florida State.”

Kayin Booker is not yet quite the celebrated recruit that his father was. Although he has a great frame at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds before his 16th birthday, he didn’t begin to focus on football until this past fall at St. Bonaventure High, the same school where Lorenzo shined 20 years earlier. Before then, he spent most of his time playing basketball.

On3’s Ira Schoffel contributed to this story