Can FSU Football Land Three Sons of Former NFL Stars in 2018 Class?

FSU football appears to still be in the running for three top defensive backs from South Florida – who all are the sons of former NFL defensive stars.

In the past few years, FSU football has been able to bring in some top recruits into the program with some familiar last names. Just this past class, the son of legendary linebacker Derrick Brooks became a ‘Nole himself – joining a long list children with impressive NFL stock to make their way to Tallahassee.

While even the biggest Florida State homer might have to admit it’s a long shot, there is a chance that three more sons of college and NFL greats could make their way to Tallahassee as part of the 2018 class – ironically, with all of them playing the same position and being from South Florida.

The most likely recruit for FSU football to land is Asante Samuel Jr.  The four star cornerback from Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas will be making his way to Tallahassee this weekend for a visit:

The son of Asante Sr., who played 11 years in the league and won two Super Bowls, Asante Jr. is considered to likely land at Florida State according to 247 Sports with Miami making a hard push entering his senior year with the Raiders.

One of Samuel’s high school teammates is another son of the pros who is still considering Florida State. Al Blades Jr., the son of the late Miami Hurricanes defensive back Al Sr., still list the Seminoles as one of his favorites – and will continue to do so as he said in this 2016 interview with the Palm Beach Post:

"When he narrows his choices, he said, the Hurricanes “will be in my top five no matter what. Florida State will be in my top five no matter what.”"

Of course, the fact that he is a member of Miami Hurricanes royalty based on his father and uncles playing there before going to the NFL isn’t going to endear him to many ‘Noles – especially when he did this during a visit in 2015:

Florida State Seminoles Football

Al Jr. seems to be the least likely of the three sons to head to Tallahassee – in the least shocking news, Miami appears to have the four star defender locked up according to 247 Sports, but you never know what can happen since it appears to be Miami and FSU alone as frontrunners.

In the middle is both when it comes to FSU’s chances is Patrick Surtain Jr. The five star defensive back from Plantation’s American Heritage School has been rated as the top player at his position in the entire class – something not surprising when you consider what his dad did for years with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.

247 Sports right now has LSU with a slight lead over Florida State for his services, with Patrick Jr. saying it’s a family thing when it comes to the Tigers having the lead in an interview with SEC Country:

"“My family lives up there, so that makes them (at) the top of my list,” Surtain explained. “It’s close between them and Florida State, but LSU gets the edge…”"

Patrick Jr. is a Florida native, born and raised in the state from the time his father was in All-Pro with the Dolphins. Another thing the Seminoles have as an advantage is two of his former defensive teammates – Tarvarus McFadden and Brian Burns – starting in Tallahassee. You can expect Jimbo Fisher, Charles Kelly and others to try and use that to their advantage when recruiting him.