FSU Recruiting: ESPN says Miami is dominating the state of Florida

DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 14: A detailed view of a helmet worn by the Florida State Seminoles during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 14: A detailed view of a helmet worn by the Florida State Seminoles during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

FSU recruiting is on fire right now in the Willie Taggart era, but is Miami running the state of Florida?

FSU recruiting has jumped a million spots since Willie Taggart became head coach nearly two months ago.

Nah, I’m using hyperbole there but the ‘Noles have jumped from No. 64 to No. 15 in the same time span according to the 247 Composite Rankings.

That’s amazing since the old regime didn’t recruit for a month prior to leaving, and FSU suffered several de-commitments from a class that was ranked No. 7 at one time.

Then there was the new early signing period in December which limited what Taggart could do as he was assembling his coaching staff.

There’s no question Miami has tried to use this transition to their advantage. Mark Richt did a great job of getting an early start to the 2018 recruiting class that was at one point ranked No. 1 like a lot of Miami recruiting classes.

However, he’s been able to hold this one together for the most part and the early signing period probably helped him with that.

Even with Taggart and FSU white-hot on the recruiting trials, one ESPN writer says the tide is turning in Miami’s favor in recruiting the state of Florida.

"The Hurricanes have been dominating the state, gaining commitments from 10 of the 60 ESPN 300 players from Florida. Miami is in line to land the most ESPN 300 recruits from Florida for the second time in three seasons under Mark Richt.In fact, the Hurricanes have twice as many ESPN 300 commitments from Florida as the Gators and Seminoles combined. Florida State currently has only two such commitments; eight schools, including six from out of state, have more than that."

Thoughts

First of all, I don’t use one ranking service (i.e. ESPN) to look at rankings. I use the 247 composite because that number is an average of ALL ranking services and more accurate in my opinion.

It’s true Miami has 11 players ranked in the 247 composite top 300 either signed or committed from the state of Florida for the 2018 class.

FSU recruiting has four players ranked in the 247 composite 300 either signed or committed from the state of Florida and will likely add at least one more in this class. The ‘Noles also had two composite 300 recruits to de-commit during the debacle with the old regime.

Miami’s class is currently 22 commits while FSU has 15.

I wouldn’t say the tide is turning with the staff Willie Taggart has put together in Tallahassee. In fact, FSU landing four-star defensive tackle Dennis Briggs is a prime example.

Miami has a severe need for defensive tackles in this class and can promise immediate playing time for a true freshman. Miami was able to get Briggs on campus several times, but in the end he chose FSU last week.

Next: 3 Reasons FSU Wins The ACC in 2018

If Miami can’t get quality players from the state when they have a severe need for that position, what do you think is going to happen when Willie Taggart and staff have a full recruiting cycle to form relationships with these kids?