FSU Recruiting: Are Noles Making South Florida Return With 2018 Class?

FSU has a history of recruiting players from South Florida, but lately has seen their numbers go down – could the 2018 class be changing that trend?

If you were to look for a three county area in the entire country that has the top high school football recruits every single year, it would be hard to argue the South Florida trifecta of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach isn’t the best there is. It’s an area rich with talent year after year – and an area that FSU football has had plenty of success snagging recruits from.

Dating back to the time of legendary coach Bobby Bowden and continuing with Jimbo Fisher, the Seminoles have built a pipeline and been the only school to consistently bring multiple players each year out of an area that is home to a once great program, the Miami Hurricanes, that used to have a  strangle hold on the area.

While other schools would get one or two each year (including the Florida Gators), FSU’s rosters over time have been full of players from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and points in between.

It’s a trend that has gone down, though, in recent years. After a record nine players came from the area as part of the 2011 class, Fisher’s numbers have gone down to a total of just 17 recruits from the area out of the 134 who have signed in the last six classes – including just two this past signing class.

While it would be had to argue that Fisher and the ‘Noles haven’t been doing the trick when it comes to recruiting, it is something to notice that the Seminoles are not getting as much success of late from the area.

But could that all be changing with the 2018 class?

Florida State Seminoles Football

Already, FSU recruiting has brought in eight verbal commitments for next year’s class – one that at the moment is rated seventh in the nation and third in the ACC by 247 Sports. It’s a class that right now has more commitments from South Florida (three) than all of last season (two).

Of course, the headline name is running back James Cook, a product of Miami Central High School and brother of legendary FSU running back Dalvin Cook. The ‘Noles may have some issues keeping him with the running back depth that arrived with this year’s class – including Cam Akers, who looks like the leader in the race to start the Alabama game – but you know Fisher will do everything in his power to keep him in the Seminoles camp.

In the last two months, the Seminoles have added two three star defensive ends from Miami-Dade County – Kayode Oladele from Miami Edison High School and Patrick Joyner from Homestead South Dade High School. Joyner is someone who could drop back and play linebacker at the next level while Oladele has the size to join the ends unit that includes fellow South Floridian Brian Burns in 2018 once Josh Sweat likely heads to the pros.

The Seminoles are still in the running for several other top recruits from the area – and could add another name as soon as Thursday when Asante Samuel Jr. from Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquanis chooses between Florida State and Miami, with most experts saying he’s Tallahassee bound:

With a history of talent from South Florida in Tallahassee…names that include legends Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin, Corey Simon and Marvin Minnis along with recent stars like Cook, Devonta Freeman, Rashad Greene and more…the Seminoles would be well advised to continue keeping that route from the Turnpike to I-75 to I-10 open for a long time.

Related Story: FSU Fans React to Commit From 2018 South Florida Recruit

It may be tougher now that Miami actually has a coach who knows what he’s doing and Florida has started to wake up to the area again, but FSU needs to remind everyone that the program runs this state of late – ALL parts of it.