When it comes to the best states for high school football recruiting, there’s Texas, there’s Florida, and then there’s everybody else. California and Georgia deserve a mention in the conversation, but even with three powerhouse programs in the Sunshine State, there’s plenty of talent to go around.Â
For most of college football history, that in-state talent remained within the borders as Florida State, Florida, and Miami battled it out for recruits. But gradually, recruiting became more national, and other programs invaded. At first, a few slipped through the cracks. Then, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, LSU, and Clemson smashed the door down, ripping away top talent, not just from the Seminoles, but from the Gators and Hurricanes as well.Â
So, who are the best players who left Florida? The recruits that Florida State, along with its biggest rivals, simply cannot believe they let leave? Well, the list is long, but these 10 are a pretty solid start.Â
Note: Travis Hunter grew up in Florida but played his high school football in Georgia, so he was not included on this list. Hunter was, however, included as one of FSU's biggest recruiting what ifs.
Across his four-year career for Clemson, which coincided with the start of the Dabo Swinney era, which officially began in his final season in 2009, Spiller never finished with fewer than 1,000 scrimmage yards. In 2009, when he was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Spiller ran for 1,212 yards and 12 touchdowns with 503 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.Â
Leonard Williams didn’t quite garner the accolades of others on this list, but he was a dominant player for USC from 2012-14 before he became the No. 6 overall pick of the New York Jets in the 2015 NFL Draft. Of this list, Williams also hits uniquely close to home for Seminoles fans because it seemed that in the 2012 cycle, Jimbo Fisher could have had him, but bet Dante Fowler Jr., an in-state five-star EDGE, wouldn’t flip to Florida. Spoiler alert: Fowler flipped to the Gators, and it was too late to pry Williams away from USC.Â
Of this list, with two exceptions who haven’t yet played in the league, Richardson’s NFL career left the most to be desired. However, in college, the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2009 class dominated for the Crimson Tide. After splitting time with Mark Ingram in 2009 and 2010, Richardson had his breakout as the bellcow in 2011, rushing for 1,679 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was named a first-team All-American, the SEC OPOY, and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting.Â
This loss is squarely on Miami, which simply was not in a place to keep Jeremiah Smith from going to Ohio State in 2024. So, it’s good for Florida State that he fled rather than ending up on the Hurricanes. Still, seeing a talent like this leave the state is a poor reflection on all three major programs from the Sunshine State.Â
By 2012, Nick Saban was at the peak of his recruiting powers at Alabama, so it’s not necessarily a surprise that the Tide plucked Cooper out of South Florida. But it had to sting for all three in-state powerhouse programs, especially as Jimbo Fisher was quickly establishing himself as an elite recruiter. Cooper had a great freshman year on Alabama’s national title run, and while he didn’t win another championship during the next two years, he put up huge numbers, finishing 2014 with 124 catches for 1,727 yards, good for a third-place Heisman finish.Â
Both Bosa brothers could arguably be included on this list, but Joey was inarguably the more productive college player. He was the 2014 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, leading Ohio State’s national championship-winning defense with 13.5 sacks and 21.0 tackles for loss.Â
In 2010, Patrick Peterson was a first-team All-American, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the best defensive back in college football, and the Bednarik Award winner as the best defensive player in the country. And he did it for LSU, not Florida State, Florida, or Miami.Â
It’s pretty strange to think that Fernando Mendoza is now on this list and is deservedly inside the top five, but that’s what capping off a Heisman Trophy season with a national championship will do. A composite two-star recruit in 2022 and the 2,535th-ranked player in the class, Mendoza developed his game at Cal before transferring to Indiana and ultimately making Miami regret passing on him twice, once as a recruit and again as a transfer.Â
Evaluators at all levels have tended to be behind the curve on Lamar Jackson. He was underrated as a consensus three-star recruit out of Boynton Beach Community High School, and then, even after a Heisman season in 2016 with 3,543 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, and 1,571 rushing yards and 21 more scores, and a third-place Heisman finish a year later with even greater passing and rushing production, he was inexplicably selected No. 32 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.Â
This past season, his 10th season in the NFL, Derrick Henry finally surpassed his four-year high school rushing yardage total of 12,124 yards. His senior season for Yulee High School, Henry averaged 327.8 yards per game and scored 55 rushing touchdowns. He was a generational high school player and lived up to every lofty expectation at Alabama, winning the 2015 Heisman Trophy with 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior.
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