Now that we’ve moved into April it feels like the right time to give some updates surrounding FSU football recruiting. Rather than give tiny (and sometimes manufactured) bits of knowledge in a litany of different articles for the sake of pumping out daily content, doing a larger update around multiple targets every couple of weeks leading into official visits in late May feels like a better use of time. Y’all let me know in the comments if you feel differently.
As a reminder, a new rule change will
greatly impact recruiting this cycle and beyond. Rather than official visits being capped at five total per player, the NCAA now allows for unlimited official visits. Prospects can only take one official visit (OV) per school unless there is a head coaching change after their OV, which would allow them to take a second OV. OV’s can last up to 48 hours, the span of one weekend.
As you likely recall, the old rule of thumb for high school recruiting was to solidify standing with a wanted recruit throughout the summer and fall and then always shoot for the last official visit before signing day/early signing period for top targets, ensuring the final impression and often coinciding with major events such as program banquets or awards presentations. Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher were outstanding at this tactic, with Bowden in particular developing a reputation as a master closer. Mike Norvell has taken a different approach, with the summer months of June and July providing his traditional large influx of commitments and the staff attempting to hold on throughout the fall.
Now that official visits are unlimited, programs no longer have to worry about getting into a top five. Top fives are now essentially irrelevant (although I know many an eyeroll happens whenever we see a top five social media post drop these days). With the massive influx of money having warped recruiting into what it is today, teams with more resources can simply pay a recruit to take an official visit at any time. With no limit on OVs, I think you’ll likely see many more situations where prospects who are scheduled to visit lesser-funded programs close to the signing period get monetary offers to cancel and visit elsewhere instead. Consequently, we’ll see more and more prospects playing the counter-offer game that we see often in the transfer portal. “This school offered me $X to cancel with you and visit them instead, but if you give me $X, I’ll come to your campus like we originally planned.” And this is just for the scheduling of the visit!
With that cheerful backdrop, let’s get into where Florida State stands in recruiting this cycle and share some names you should know at this stage. Get ready for a long article.
What’s the vibe around FSU and its new coaches?
Based on reactions from recruits and general buzz that we’ve been hearing from sources around the program, there is an intermixed atmosphere of quiet optimism and not-so-quiet apprehension, although everything is understandably in a wait-and-see mode due to the state of the program and Norvell’s standing. FSU still does an excellent job of selling the family atmosphere and other hallmarks under Norvell and prospects are still listening. The natural question is what FSU looks like if Norvell is no longer there (I don’t want to go down that rabbit hole here, but it needs to be mentioned). These questions are very loud and you can bet every program competing against FSU continually mentions the uncertainty to prospects. NIL reigns supreme these days, but things like position coaches, development, atmosphere in the program, facilities, academics, and location do still matter to many kids, believe it or not. Florida State won’t be able to successfully sell coaching staff stability, so they’ll have to work to selling larger aspects of the university and facilities as they lay ground work for 2027 and 2028 prospects. We’ll see how it goes.
Speaking of new staffers, a quick recap: FSU brought in four new position coaches/coordinators in Kam Martin (RBs), Nick Williams (Edge), Blue Adams (CBs), and Adam Scheier (ST). Ernie Sims (LBs) and Austin Tucker (QBs) were internally elevated to positions coaching roles as well.
From a recruiting perspective, Martin and Williams have good reputations as grinders and that has certainly been the case so far in Tallahassee. I’ve particularly been impressed with these two as they’ve relied on prior relationships at past schools but haven’t been limited by them. If anything, both have greatly expanded the recruiting boards at their respective positions while honing in on a top group of targets. Sims and Tucker have also hit the ground running and are building good relationships while expending their respective position boards as well. Adams has been quieter while Scheier has brought in a few specialists for unofficial visits, though he likely won’t have significant recruiting abilities. As we look at their performances so far under the lens of the current challenges the program faces, I don’t think you could ask anything more of Martin, Williams, and Tucker. Sims has a bit of room to grow as he juggles his responsibilities while Adams needs to generate some better momentum if he hopes to mend any fences that were broken after the departure of Pat Surtain.
Which position boards look good right now? Which ones need to improve?
As easy as it would be to cast a dark parlou over everything with the current state of things, I’m instead judging this based on the current buzz coming out of spring ball as well as which prospects have scheduled or are in the process of scheduling OVs with Florida State. While it will of course depend on how the season goes and coaching staff movement, we’ll have an excellent idea coming out of summer where FSU stands during this cycle.
As mentioned above, I really like the board for running back. Martin has been working his rear end off and I’m thinking he’s going to be the new ace recruiter on staff this year (and possibly beyond). Prospects rave about him and he’s been able to make significant inroads with several talented players that the prior running backs coach couldn’t do. Martin has FSU squarely in the mix for running backs coveted by Miami, Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Clemson, and other major recruiting programs again.
Williams has also been successful in bringing blue-chip edge rushers to campus over the past few weeks, and he has elevated FSU enough to earn some official visits from guys who likely wouldn’t have followed through under the prior staff. The storyline to follow here is how FSU will prioritize NIL funds, which come into play even more heavily with premium positions like edge rusher. They’ll likely have to pay low four-stars like high four-stars, three-stars like 4-stars, etc. Williams is certainly doing his part by getting them to town, and we’ll see how he’s able to close on some of these kids.
Tim Harris has FSU sitting in good shape with numerous wide receivers, Sims has some promising LB prospects lined up for OVs, and Evan Cooper has done a solid job with commit retention and new interest among safety prospects.
On the other end of the spectrum, QB recruiting is concerning. FSU is pursuing several highly-rated players but doesn’t seem to be cracking the top two or overtaking the lead for any of them. Their top realistic target is a three-star who also loves UF. I give Tucker credit for expanding the board here, but I’m not thrilled with the QB board. Jaden O’Neal would end up fitting better into a Norvell-style offense but he’s spending the whole upcoming season rehabbing an injury, so there’s no guarantee he’ll be the same player that FSU signed. If things don’t change with the QB board, FSU will need to use the portal once again.
The other position board I’m disappointed in right now is cornerback. If you look at who FSU currently has scheduled for OVs among corners, you’ll see a mixture of guys who are either committed elsewhere or unranked. Blue Adams is facing some negative headwinds in the aftermath of the Surtain departure but quite frankly, FSU should never, and I mean NEVER, struggle to recruit defensive backs. This board needs to improve, perhaps more so than any other.
Who is already committed in #Tribe27?
- 3-star tight end Connor Winn (FL)
- 4-star edge Anthony Cavallaro (FL)
- 4-star linebacker Gregory Batson (GA)
- 4-star defensive back Mekhi Williams (FL)
- 3-star defensive back Jemari Foreman (FL)
Who are some names to know at each position?
QB: Despite some clickbait from other places, there really is only one primary name to know right now at QB. Wonderful “Champ” Monds IV is the guy that FSU has prioritized. He’s nowhere near a sure bet with schools like Florida, Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Miami squarely in the mix. FSU will need to hope that the big dogs in that list have higher priorities on their boards. Monds reclassified from 2028 to 2027 and also missed most of last season with an injury, so FSU is taking a significant gamble here. There are a couple of other names like Israel Abrams (just committed to Miami), Jayce Johnson (Texas A&M), and Logan Flaherty (UCF) floating out there. The first two feel unattainable and Flaherty feels like a backup plan.
RB: The three names I’m tracking the most are Ty Keys, Gary Walker, and Marquis Fennell. All three have set summer OVs to FSU and the Seminoles are trending heavily for Keys and Fennell of late. Kam Martin has worked wonders with Keys and if he chooses Florida State, it will be 100% due to Martin’s efforts. Pulling top talent out of Mississippi is notoriously difficult but FSU is in great shape with Keys. Fennell is another target FSU has made big waves with and could benefit from other programs having higher targets on their boards. He’s a threat in the passing game and could be an underrated gem if FSU lands him. If Keys and Fennell were choosing today, they’d both be ‘Noles in my opinion. It’s a two-team race for Walker right now with Clemson having an edge but that one will go down to the wire. Other names include Brayden Tyson and Nigel Newkirk, both of whom have OVs scheduled for the summer.
WR: Tim Harris is nothing if not consistent with having FSU in play for numerous prospects. I’m watching Sean Lee, Jabari Watkins, Cam Wade, and Antwan Lockett the closest right now. I think FSU sits in very good positions for Lee and Wade, though neither is a sure thing. Watkins has visited Tallahassee often and FSU is squarely in the mix with him, and Lockett will also take a summer OV to FSU. There are a couple other names you’ll see a lot from pay sites in Jamarin Simmons and Tramond Collins, but FSU has major catching up to do with Clemson and Florida respectively. Neither would be in FSU’s class if signing was today, which is particularly disappointing in Simmons’ case as he plays for Godby High School in Tallahassee.
TE: Chris Thomsen has FSU involved for a couple of prospects in addition to current commit Connor Winn (fwiw I need to see a lot more from Winn to justify him in the class- he’s barely played high school ball due to numerous injuries). George Lamons Jr. is the big target and FSU is fighting with UF, Alabama, and Auburn for him. FSU has surged in Lamons’ recruitment but lots of work still needs to be done. Carter Blackwell and Sam Faniel both have OVs set up but I’m not sure FSU leads for either, and both are a decent step below Lamons in skill.
OL: OL recruiting tends to progress more slowly under Herb Hand, as he likes to evaluate prospects for a while before offering. Jatori Williams is the biggest name to know, though FSU is up against strong competition there and he’ll be expensive. Abram Eisenhower, DaJohn Yarborough, and Shavezz Dixon also have summer OVs set, with Eisenhower being the only true OT prospect of the bunch.
DL: Sam LeJeune is the major name to know here, as FSU has invested a ton of time and significant resources into his recruitment. It won’t be easy to pull him out of the Sip with other SEC programs fighting hard, but this is a recruitment FSU has to win. I’m also keeping an eye on Wesley Gover, Jason Lewis, and Avrian Pauley.
EDGE: Anthony Cavallaro is already on board and Nick Williams has worked wonders in getting a lot of guys to set OVs to FSU, as referenced previously. FSU won’t be able to land them all but getting a bigger pool of guys on campus in the summer is already a significant improvement over last year. The biggest names are Jabarrius “Chicken” Garror, Fred Ards, and Desmond Malpress. The Seminoles have put in major work with Garror and a recent decommitment from Alabama portends well for FSU to land him. Ards has also long been a priority but FSU still has major work to do there, as well as with Malpress. I’m far less confident on FSU snagging either of them at the moment. Jaxon Holly, Elijah Cox, TK Cunningham, and Santana Harvey are other prospects with OVs set for FSU. Those four are all either trending elsewhere or are somewhat dependent on what happens with the first three names.
LB: FSU already has Greg Batson on board and Ernie Sims is diversifying his board. Kaden Henderson is the click-bait name at pay sites but I have a hard time FSU can land him without significantly overpaying, and even then I’m not so sure. More realistic names are Ethan Hauser and Fred Ford, both of whom will visit over the summer, but Sims will be playing the long game with his position board. Keeping Batson will be a priority.
DB: Safety prospects are looking fairly strong for #Tribe27. FSU’s top commitment, Mekhi Williams, is a strong pledge, and Jemari Foreman is also on board. Strong summer OVs could lock both down. Kennedy Green and Brandon Leavell are two other names to keep an eye on. Cornerback, however? Mid 3-star Khamani Estrada looks to be FSU’s most talented realistic get right now and it doesn’t look promising after him. Brandon Allen, a current Mississippi State commit, has an OV scheduled.
So there you have it. Hopefully this is helpful. Even attempting a mock class at this point would be a waste of time in my opinion, though FSU does sit in nice position for some talented kids.
Any prospects you want to know about? Ask us in the comments. Thanks for following along, TN!
