Florida State Football: Star Freshmen Have Answered the Call

Travis Rudolph's progress in the preseason was evident as he practiced to glowing reviews from coach Jimbo Fisher and teammates. And while a foot injury slowed him at times, Rudolph is one of a large group of freshmen that have answered the call and had an impact on the Florida State football team.

Rudolph had his best game against Notre Dame, grabbing six passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in the first quarter of Florida State's 31-27 win on Saturday night. Of Rudolph's six catches, one was an 11-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston and four went for a first down.

"I think he's got a chance to be a very good player and he's developing in a lot of ways," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said.

No. 2 FSU needed freshmen and sophomore receivers to emerge this fall after Kelvin Benjamin left early for the NFL and senior Kenny Shaw graduated. While FSU returned top receiver Rashad Greene and tight end Nick O'Leary, there were plenty of holes to fill.

Rudolph, a 5-star receiver from West Palm Beach, Florida, didn't play much in FSU's first three games as he recovered from a foot injury. He had his first reception in the win at North Carolina State on Sept. 27 and had his first touchdown a week later in a win over Wake Forest. Rudolph has 17 catches for 232 yards and two touchdowns this season, helping to turn what was a depleted group into one of the strengths of the offense.

"Travis Rudolph is going to be an amazing player," Winston said. "You can't be prouder than a young guy just stepping up in the clutch."

FSU has had plenty of players hit the field for the first time this season and help the Seminoles to a 7-0 start heading into the bye week. In addition to Rudolph, Let's take a look at FSU's true and redshirt freshmen who have made significant contributions this fall:

Five that have made an impact

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Dalvin Cook

The true freshman from Miami, a 5-star prospect who was Florida's Mr. Football in 2013, helped FSU wear down Syracuse with a 122-yard effort. With Karlos Williams (ankle) out, and fill-in starter Mario Pender (ankle) injured in the first half, Cook had a season-high 23 carries. He has run for 270 yards and three touchdowns this season.

Lorenzo Featherston

The 4-star defensive end from Greensboro, North Carolina, leads the true freshmen with 17 tackles. He had a breakout game at N.C. State with five tackles and a forced fumble and then added seven tackles and a fumble recovery against Wake Forest.

Ryan Hoefeld

Austin Barron was just getting settled in at center when he fractured his arm in the win over Wake Forest. Hoefeld, a redshirt freshman who was a 3-star prospect from New Orleans, played well in the final three quarters against the Demon Deacons and made his first start in a loud dome at Syracuse. While Notre Dame constantly brought pressure up the middle, Hoefeld was better in the second half. And that kind of challenge early in his career will only help his progress.

Jacob Pugh

The 4-star linebacker from Tallahassee had a huge night against Notre Dame, intercepting a second-quarter pass and then picking off Everett Golson's final throw of the night. While the true freshman is viewed often as a rush end, he also showed that he was in the right place at the right time in pass coverage. Pugh has eight tackles in 2014.

Matthew Thomas

The 5-star linebacker from Miami played quite well against Notre Dame after serving an NCAA-mandated six-game suspension. While FSU often plays just two linebackers in its 4-2-5 scheme, Thomas had six tackles against the Fighting Irish and the redshirt freshman showed that he deserves increased playing time.

Three others to watch

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Derrick Nnadi

The true freshman, a 4-star defensive tackle from Virginia Beach, Virginia, has made eight tackles, seeing playing time as a reserve and giving coaches another option when Nile Lawrence-Stample was lost for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.

Ermon Lane

The 4-star receiver from Homestead, Florida, has made five catches for 105 yards, although most of the true freshman's playing time came earlier in the year. But he will be in line for increased playing time in 2015.

Trey Marshall

The 4-star defensive back from Lake City, Florida, has missed the last three games with a concussion. But the true freshman played well as a reserve earlier in the year and had four tackles.

Bob Ferrante is the Florida State Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bob on Twitter. All stats are courtesy of seminoles.com. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.