Florida State Softball's biggest fan might just be a Seminole football player
The No. 4 Florida State softball team defeated the No. 15 Florida Gators, 5-3, Wednesday night in front of a packed house at JoAnne Graf Field.
Seated in the front row, directly behind home plate, was a familiar face in the world of FSU athletics these days. It was redshirt sophomore defensive back Jaden Floyd, the son of legendary Florida State fullback William Floyd. And he was leading fans in a number of “K Time!” chants.
It was not an unusual sight, of course.
Earlier this month, we caught up with Floyd while he was cheering on the Florida State baseball team during a game at Dick Howser Stadium.
“It’s always been Florida State for me,” Floyd said. “Just coming here growing up, I always knew I was going to be a Seminole one day. … I’m blessed to be here.”
Accepting an offer to be a preferred walk-on on the Florida State football team in April 2021 was a childhood dream come true for the former West Orange High School star. But becoming an FSU student meant so much more to him than just playing football.
While FSU football players often support other teams on campus, Floyd was the only football player in attendance at this particular Seminole baseball game. And with good reason. It was a rare Saturday morning off for Mike Norvell’s team, sandwiched between a pair of scrimmages and the spring showcase.
When asked why he’d rather spend his free time at an 11 a.m. baseball game instead of resting and recovering from football activities, Floyd took a moment to come to an answer.
“This university means a whole lot to me,” he said. “The same amount of work I put in with football, these athletes put in with their sport as well. And I feel like it’s important to just be able to come out and support them, and let them know that they have a fan base behind them. Whether it is a student-athlete or just other fans around Tallahassee, or even around America that are ‘Nole-blooded.
“This is a family here, and we should all treat each other like it.”
Floyd’s fandom did not suddenly grow with his enrollment. He has been visiting Tallahassee with his family since he was 5 years old and is indoctrinated in Seminole sports culture.
His Twitter feed the past couple of months has been almost exclusively devoted to spring football, baseball, and softball. Before that, he was a regular at basketball games.
If a Florida State sport is in season, you can be sure that Floyd is keeping an eye on it.
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The defensive back estimates he’s been to around 30 softball games this season, and that means he has seen a whole lot of victories. The Seminoles boast a 27-2 home record and are currently ranked No. 4 in the country at 40-8; they’re on top of the ACC standings with a conference record of 16-2.
Freshman pitcher Makenna Reid got the start on the mound Wednesday night, and Floyd might have been her biggest supporter. The two are friends outside of sports, and Floyd was quick to jump from his seat and celebrate each of her strikeouts.
Reid finished her outing with three innings pitched, three strikeouts, and one earned run allowed. Now with 29 appearances under her belt, the freshman has the lowest ERA on the team at 1.01 in 55.2 innings.
Senior Kathryn Sandercock got the win in relief, throwing 2.2 shutout innings of two-hit ball, complemented by three strikeouts to hold onto the lead.
The Seminoles only have one more home series remaining during the regular season — next weekend against Louisville — but Floyd said he will definitely be in attendance for any NCAA regional or super regional games that are played at Graf Field.
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“Without a question,” he said. “I was here last year when they had the Tallahassee regional, so I plan on being back this year as well.”
Focus on Football
On the practice field this spring, Floyd often saw action at safety with the second- and third-team defense.
He also turned in a handful of highlight plays, like the one below that was caught by Florida State’s social media team.
“I feel like more of myself when I’m on the football field now,” Floyd said. “And I’ve still got a lot to work on. But at the end of the day, one thing Coach Norvell always tells us is, ‘Get 1 percent better every day.”
At the end of the 2022 season, Florida State’s coaches presented Floyd with the Bill McGrotha Humanitarian Award for all of his good deeds in the community.
Floyd in Focus
Even if you haven’t attended a Florida State sporting event in person, there’s a decent chance you have seen Floyd cheering on television.
During the softball game on Wednesday and in countless other games this year, Floyd has been featured during television broadcasts, supporting his classmates. And it’s fitting that the camera seems to find him, since he aspires to be an actor when his time with football comes to a close.
“I love cameras,” he said with a laugh. “The camera finding me is pretty cool. Just being able to be the center of attention. … For me to be seen, and for me to just have a good time with it, I do it for the fans. It’s awesome. I love it.”
And he’s already establishing a solid fan base. Toward the end of that Saturday baseball game against Clemson, The Animals of Section B serenaded Floyd when he went to sit with friends after the top of the eighth inning.
“Jaden! Jaden! Jaden! Jaden!” rang down from the top of the stands as he walked down the steps.
Floyd then turned around, smiled and tipped his cap before walking off.
Florida State fans can follow @judge.jaden on Instagram and @judgejaden on Twitter. He also posts videos on his YouTube channel.
Evan DeForest is a Florida State student intern with Warchant.com.
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
