Worth the wait

Sporting News, The, August 11, 1997 by Alan Schmadtke

Come Christmas, Florida State's Andre Wadsworth could have the unabridged, big-time college football experience.

Bowl games. Numerous national TV apperances. Decorated teammates. A college degree. And, perhaps, authorship of the ultimate saga of college football success: walk-on to All-American.

"He is, "FSU defensive ends coach Jim Gladen says. "one of the best stories we've got."

His story should become nationally known this season, as Wadsworth makes the move from nose tackle to defensive end as the Seminoles try to replace the dynamic defensive end duo of Peter Boulware and Reinard Wilson. Wilson and Boulware formed the rarest of combinations in 1996: Associated Press first-team All-Americans from the same team. They recorded a combined 32 1/2 sacks to pace a team that led Division I-A with 67 sacks. Wadsworth had two sacks in '96 but mostly aided Boulware and Wilson -- both of whom were first-round picks in the NFL draft -- with constant pressure from his spot at nose tackle.

Wadsworth's story is intriguing for other reasons, too, chiefly that he is one of two former walk-ons (strong safety Shevin Smith is the other) on FSU's starting defense.

When FSU's veterans report to campus this week, Wadsworth will line up at end with last season's backup, Greg Spires. After ignoring constant solicitations by agents asking him to turn pro, Wadsworth aims to outperform his predecessors.

"You had two first-rounders and a lot of sacks last year," Wadsworth says. "No matter what we do, Greg and I are going to be compared to those ends. Only way I can see us not getting compared is to beat what they did, get 20 sacks on one side and 25 on the other.

"But I expect that (comparison). It's just natural. But I don't think there's going to be much drop-off. In fact, Greg and I are heavier than Reinard and Pete were. If anything, quarterbacks are going to feel our hits more. There's more weight coming at them this year."

That Wadsworth, a fifth-year senior, can boast of his scale-tipping speaks to how far he has come during his days in Tallahassee. Chuck Amato, who recruits the Miami area for the Seminoles, convinced Wadsworth (then 6-1 and 195 pounds) to ignore scholarship offers from several small colleges and walk on at Florida State in the fall of 1993. Wadsworth played for Florida Christian, a high school in South Miami that had about 180 students when he attended. As a senior, Wadsworth was the school's slot receiver and middle linebacker. "We all played both ways," he says.

Amato, then FSU's defensive line coach, saw the potential for an athletic lineman. The Seminoles will reap the last of that foresight this season.

Wadsworth reported to college at 215 pounds, played last year at 6-4, 285 pounds and shed 16 pounds this summer for his shift from nose tackle to end.

To Wadsworth, the trek from an unknown out of a small high school to a likely high first-round draft pick -- NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper projects Wadsworth as a top-five pick -- was nothing spectacular. "I think the Lord humbles you in a way that you don't realize where you came from. You just know how you got there and who helped you get there," he says. "I don't know how to explain it. People tell me how far I've come -- and I know it is a big deal, what I overcame -- but it just happened so fast and the Lord made it so smooth, I can't see it.

"My desire was so high, I didn't look at it as a struggle. I wanted to work out that amount of time. It wasn't a pain in the butt. It didn't seem like it was hard, just something I had to do. I think it has been fun for me. And, hey, any kind of football in Miami is tough."

Wadsworth walked on in 1993, which happened to be the season Charlie Ward won the Heisman Trophy and FSU won the national championship. He redshirted and paid his dues on the scout team as a defensive end trying to catch Ward in practice. He lifted weights more devoutly than he went to church -- which says a lot.

In 1994, as a redshirt freshman, he saw a lot of action, finishing with 47 tackles as a reserve to Derrick Alexander, who became a first-round pick after his junior season (and now starts for the Vikings).

Four games into the '95 season, Wadsworth was moved from end to nose tackle after starter Enzoo Armelia suffered a career-ending knee injury. The move didn't hamper Wadsworth, as he had 77 tackles -- second on the team -- and was named second-team All-ACC.

Wadsworth's hallmark, like Alexander's, is relentless pursuit. He routinely records downfield tackles. "His greatest asset is he is an outstanding football player no matter where you stick him," Gladden says, dispelling any concerns of Wadsworth's return to end. "He doesn't have to prove anything to us. But we do want to make sure he's not tentative. If he was, we'd weaken ourselves at two positions. But I don't think he will be."

In reality, the Seminoles are fortunate Wadsworth still in on campus. Only recently did coach Bobby Bowden learn how close Wadsworth was to following his roommate, Boulware, into the NFL draft early.