Alex Mastromanno had traveled but never to the United States. His first trip here was when he moved more than 10,000 miles from Australia to Tallahassee to come to Florida State and be a student-athlete. Adjusting to college life in a new city is a challenge for many freshmen. Mastromanno was moving a world away from his hometown of Melbourne,…
Camren McDonald isn’t just intent on setting goals, a list of what he wants to do after graduation and what he’d like to achieve in life. He’s driven to make a difference now. The Florida State junior tight end decided in 2020 to start a non-profit, the Making Change Foundation, with the intent on serving pizza and food to those…
Kenneth Crawford recalls watching Lawrance Toafili play his first snaps of JV football at Pinellas Park High. It was clear the freshman would soon be on varsity. “First game he touched the ball six times — he scored six times,” said Crawford, Pinellas Park’s varsity head coach. “He’s faster than people think. You double that with his vision. But probably…
Keyshawn Helton is a ‘Yes, sir. No, sir’ kind of kid. A diminutive 5-foot-9 and 171 pounds, the lightly recruited Pensacola native is a fierce competitor who draws upon an inspiring work ethic and burning passion to have become a collegiate playmaker. What’s more, Helton is the kind of kid who leaves you feeling a little bit more hopeful about…
Amari Gainer grew up in Tallahassee, in a football family, the son of a Florida State player. Many of his fall Saturdays included trips to Doak Campbell Stadium, and one of his good friends was Trey Fisher, Jimbo’s son. When the time came to make a decision on where the Chiles High star would attend college, Gainer was torn. He…
