First meeting with Mike Norvell shocks 2024 DB CJ Heard
For the second straight weekend, Florida State's campus was packed with visitors over a multitude of classes. It's clear that the coaching staff is focusing on connecting with recruits early, and often, in their respective recruitments.
2024 defensive back Cornelius 'CJ' Heard arrived on Saturday afternoon with his family. The Seminoles were his dream school entering the day and the experience exceeded his expectations.
"I'm really impressed," Heard said. "I expected it to be a great visit but it was that and a bit little more. Florida State is high on my list."
The visit marked his first chance to meet with head coach Mike Norvell in person. Norvell made it clear to Heard that Florida State is making him a priority
"Meeting coach Norvell, that was my first time ever meeting him," Heard said. "He followed me on Twitter a long time ago but I never got to talk to him for real. I went in his office today and talked to him. He kept it real with me, he told me 'I'm not going to sit right here and tell you that you're going to start off the get-go. If you work your way there, you can do it. Special teams, a lot of freshmen don't think about special teams but you need to think about special teams. We want you to impact in every way.'"
"It was crazy," Heard continued. "Florida State is my dream school and they're making it known that I'm a priority. He said that he's recruiting me the hardest out of all of the DBs in 2024. Coach Norvell made me feel like this is home today. He told me that he needs me, he wants me."
The coaching staff is recruiting Heard as a safety. They've expressed that they like his versatility and physicality. He can play across the defensive backfield at the next level.
"They see I'm very versatile, that I can tackle very well, I can cover," Heard said. "They know I've got the ability to play any position on the back end. That's really great, knowing that they trust me and that I'm capable of doing that."
"They like that I can move, coach, he likes my grades and he knows that I'm what FSU is about," Heard continued. "I was in the meeting with coach Woodson and he was telling me that the goal is to go to the NFL but you don't come here saying let's go to the NFL, you come here saying let me get a degree and play elite football. That's the 'Nole way, he was telling me. He [Norvell] showed me the mountain in his office and you've got to climb. You've got to fight adversity, you've got to climb the mountain. It's not where you start, it's where you finish. Everything with coach Norvell, it just connected, it was great."
Heard has been a fan of Florida State since he was a child. As for why, he's not quite sure. He came to a few camps in Tallahassee when former head coach Jimbo Fisher was with the program and loved his experiences. Funnily enough, his dad is actually a Gators fan and they go head to head every year.
"I don't even know, it's crazy because my dad is a Gators fan," Heard said. "Every time we play each other, we wait for this game every year. When I was a kid, I came for a couple of camps when Fisher was here and I loved it. I don't know, I've just always been a Florida State fan. I like how their DBs play, they're always physical and I'm a physical DB so I like the fit. Derwin James came through here, I think my game is similar to his. Jalen Ramsey, he's a great DB. They've got the tools to get me where I want to go in life."
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The 5-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back nearly pulled the trigger on this visit. He was close to committing but wants to take a little more time to weigh his options and make sure he isn't rushing into a decision. Regardless, the Seminoles are the current leader in his recruitment.
"FSU is definitely the leader."
"I'm not gonna lie, I was close to committing but I'm 2024 so I want to see a few more places," Heard said. "I'm definitely going to be here a lot more throughout my whole recruitment, probably the most out of any other school. You know, this is my dream school, I've always wanted to play here. It'll be hard to beat Florida State."
Moving forward, Heard is focusing on furthering a relationship with defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson and coach Norvell. He says that he and Woodson are planning to speak three times a week. Heard will be back at Florida State multiple times this offseason, including on April 9 for the annual spring game.
Stick with NoleGameday for more on Heard throughout his upcoming junior season.
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