Florida State is adding to its thin quarterback room.

Wyatt Rector, a former three-star recruit and transfer from Western Michigan, plans to enroll at FSU as preferred walk-on in May and he could be placed on scholarship pending a hardship waiver from NCAA for immediate eligibility. For now, Rector will be considered a greyshirt and will have a chance to earn a scholarship once he's eligible to play depending on the waiver.

At the very least, Rector (6-4, 231) will provide depth in practice for FSU. Ideally, he’ll receive the waiver and will be able to play immediately this season. That would be welcomed news for an FSU squad that currently has just one eligible scholarship quarterback -- James Blackman -- on the roster.

"Honestly it’s like a dream come true," Rector told Noles247. "Growing up I was a Florida fan, but getting love from FSU in high school and not Florida, I was like ‘I was rooting for wrong team my entire life.’

"During the recruiting process [in high school], I went to FSU games. The people, the football, the atmosphere is amazing. I love it. I cannot wait to get started.”

FSU wanted to add athleticism to the position, and Rector certainly fits the bill. A big, strong athlete from Leesburg, Rector amassed 3,242 passing yards and 918 rushing yards along with 44 total touchdowns as a senior. He clocked in with a 4.66-second 40-yard dash in high school during an ESPN camp (hand-clocked at 4.59 as well), logged a 36.8-inch vertical jump and had one of the top SPARQ Ratings among all quarterbacks in his recruiting class.

He went to Western Michigan as part of the 2018 signing class, but decided to transfer after one season. The quarterback coach he committed to left for another program just days after he signed with Western Michigan -- it's a reason why Rector will have a chance to get a waiver to play this season -- and he felt like he didn't get the chance he was promised as a recruit. Rector worked wherever he could on the scout team and occasionally traveled with the team, but sitting home and watching games when he wasn't on the travel team was rough.

After landing at Lenoir-Rhyne University for a week in January -- Rector technically never enrolled -- Rector left and decided to weigh his options as he searched for a more stable landing spot. It was a long drive home from North Carolina to Central Florida, and it was perhaps the most significant moment of self doubt for Rector.

"I didn't know if I'd ever play football again," Rector said.

FSU didn’t sign a prep signal caller for the second recruiting class in a row, opening up a need for a younger prospect with upside. Rector and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles spoke several times since National Signing Day, and discussed the possibility of Rector coming up to Tallahassee for a visit. Once Rector and Briles started talking, he picked up his conditioning. Rector -- who picked up jobs at a Walgreens and Sherwin Williams in the past month -- was previously working out and throwing the ball to former prep teammates who were still in the area, but he then began throwing the ball upwards of 1,000 times a day every day once he realized FSU was in play.

“I had a lot coaches tell me stuff I want to hear when I was a recruit," Rector said. "But it never came true. When I spoke with Coach [Briles], it struck me that this was my dream school, that this was serious."

Rector does have familiarity with both FSU and the current coaching staff. He was offered by Willie Taggart when he was in high school (while Taggart was still at USF), and Rector visited and camped at FSU several times under the previous regime. In fact, USF was the first FBS program to offer Rector.

But Rector found himself speaking with Briles during this process. He said the coach screamed 'let's go' when he told him over the weekend that he was coming to FSU, and Briles stressed to Rector that he did a ton of research on the QB. Talking to former high school and college coaches, Briles learned that Rector was a grinder.

"I'm going to push my teammates, I'll be there for them, and try to be the big dog," Rector said. "Coach Briles also said they want to open up the dual-threat game some."

FSU will likely go through spring practice with two scholarship quarterbacks -- Blackman and Louisville transfer Jordan Travis -- as well as walk-on and former three-star prospect Nolan McDonald.

Rector will be a redshirt freshman in 2019.