"Empty Quiver" and "Broken Arrow" are military terms for a lost nuclear weapon captured by the enemy. They are fitting terms for 5-star Florida State University Seminoles football recruits who embarrass their school with poor performances in the classroom, on the field, or off the field involving the police.
This has happened several times to the Florida State University Seminoles. Nearly every year, the team has a top-10 recruiting class, with several 5-star recruits. Sometimes, however, you get one or more of those broken arrows, leaving you with an empty quiver when it comes to putting talent on the field.
#5 Randy Moss: WR. From Rand, West Virginia.
Moss left Notre Dame after a battery charge. In 1996, he failed a routine drug test and was bounced from FSU without playing a down. He went on to collegiate and NFL fame and infamy in the following decades. But whenever Moss engages in some sort of foolish set of antics, folks always say he went to FSU.
#4 DiShon Platt: WR.
Platt was from Punta Gorda Charlotte HS in 2001, which is south of the Tampa and St. Petersburg Florida area. Even though he was a top-rated receiver and 5-star recruit, he couldn't make the grades in the classroom.
#3 Callahan Bright: DT.
Like Platt, the ironically-named Bright washed out, failing to even earn the minimum on his SAT scores. The defensive lineman from Bryn Mawr, Pa., who was at the top of his class, found himself taking classes at a community college, where he was busted for selling drugs.
#2 Xavier Lee: QB.
The Mr. Football from Seabreeze HS in Daytona Beach, Fla., struggled to a 2-4 record and looked lost in the position. After a suspension for violating team rules and missing class, Lee left school. He tried to make it as a professional player, but that didn't work either. If it weren't for his role in relief, leading FSU to a come-from-behind 21-14 win over Nick Saban's Alabama team, he'd be #1 on the list.
#1 Fred Rouse: WR.
This local Lincoln HS talent from Tallahassee, Fla., usually makes everybody's recruiting bust list for all schools, not just Florida State University. Rouse failed a post-Orange Bowl drug test, robbed a teammate (while leaving his monogrammed gloves behind, making him easy to catch), and was booted from two other schools. Think of him as Randy Moss without the luck.
Of course, Seminoles fans will be happy this spring, as news reports have them landing at least two 5-star recruits: the top-rated quarterback and top-rated defensive lineman. But if history teaches us anything, FSU fans should watch out, as they could always wind up as an Empty Quiver or Broken Arrow.
My connection to the Florida State University comes from attending the school as a graduate student, starting in 1995 and graduating with a Ph.D. in political science in 2000. I had the privilege of teaching several players, and attending nearly every home game over that period of time, FSU's greatest era.
