Seminole dreams of playing for FSU
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PLANTATION, Fla. | Andre Jumper seeks to make history in more ways than one.
The Plantation American Heritage 2015 linebacker is already the first Seminole Indian to have won a state championship in high school football. He accomplished that feat this past December by helping the Patriots storm to a 66-8 win over Clay in the Class 5A state title game.
While that's a great feat to achieve, Jumper really wants to make his mark on one particular thing.
He is aiming to become the first Florida Seminole Indian to have earned a football scholarship offer from Florida State.
Jumper, who is listed at 6'2", 225 lbs., doesn't have any offers right now. but he has garnered interest from Florida State.
To help his case, the rising star attended a camp at FSU from June 11-13.
Jumper, who has also gained interest from the likes of USC, Michigan State, USF, FAU, FIU and Georgia Southern, spent some time working in a series of positional drills with FSU linebackers coach Bill Miller.
"I feel like I did pretty good at the camp," Jumper said. "I worked on some covering skills and some basic linebacker fundamentals with Coach Miller. He and his coaches are really about getting you to up your game. I like that a lot."
Jumper said he enjoyed the overall vibe and experience at the FSU camp.
"Coach Miller said that FSU would love to have me here," he said. "He likes me a lot. He said he can't wait to see me play this season."
Jumper, who recorded 10 sacks and 90 tackles in his junior season for the Patriots, said he would love to team up with a fellow Seminole at FSU.
Former Tampa Catholic wide receiver Justin Motlow will be making history of his own, as he will be the first Seminole Indian to play for FSU this upcoming fall season as a walk-on.
Motlow is from the Tampa Seminole Reservation (Tampa), while Jumper is from the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation (outside of Clewiston).
Tampa and Big Cypress are part of the Seminole Tribe of Florida's network of six reservations, which also include Brighton (outside of Okeechobee), Fort Pierce, Hollywood and Immokalee.
"It would be great to be representing our tribe together," Jumper said. "It would be an awesome experience and something I would never forget."
Ultimately, the FSU offer will probably hinge on how Jumper plays throughout his senior season at American Heritage.
He's seeking to help the Patriots earn an opportunity to win their second consecutive Class 5A state title this December.
"It was the best experience to have," Jumper said of American Heritage's 5A state championship victory. "I want our team to have that feeling again."