Why FSU Football is better with Brendan Gant than Nick Cross

FSU football lost 4-star safety recruit Nick Cross to Maryland, but there is no need to worry, the Seminoles signed a stud in Brendan Gant

On Wednesday, safety Nick Cross flipped his commitment from FSU football to the University of Maryland. The sad thing for Cross and his parents is that it wasn’t the school either of them wanted – it was just a compromise.

Naysayers will complain that this is the second recruit FSU lost to Maryland in this class and that’s true, but it doesn’t mean that Willie Taggart and his staff can’t recruit. They signed a Top 20 class after a nightmare 5-7 season!

Losing out on quarterback Lance LeGendre does hurt the quarterback situation, but Coach Taggart is working on bringing in a graduate transfer to add some depth, and/or defensive back recruit Travis Jay could also see time with the offense. The quarterback situation is admittedly disconcerting, but there is no concern about the #Tribe19 secondary class.

Florida State Seminoles Football

Even without Nick Cross, FSU arguably signed the best secondary class in the nation. Does losing Cross hurt, of course it does, but he was never a necessity. As our own Jason Parker wrote, the Seminoles signed the third ranked safety in the nation in Brendan Gant.

It would have been fun to watch those two battle for playing time but it wasn’t mean to be. I would argue that with the Seminole’s current lack of quality defensive back depth, Gant is a better fit than Cross, because he can play any position in the secondary. Am I just being a homer looking for a silver lining? At first, I will admit, I probably was, but after watching their recruiting clips and researching them, I wholeheartedly believe it to be true. Why?

Gant is not exclusively a safety, he is so good in coverage that he can play cornerback and he is athletic enough and has the instincts to play behind Jaiden Woodbey at the star position. At 6’ 2”, Gant is taller than Cross, which is a big factor in covering the large receivers and tight ends who have seemingly run free through the Seminole secondary the last few years.

Cross is about 20 pounds heavier than Gant, but with his frame, Gant could add 15 to 20 pounds of muscle if he decides to settle at safety or even linebacker. Cross is a sprinter, so sure, he can run fast, but Gant is also fast and may have better quickness on the football field.

Most importantly, from what I saw, Gant is a big hitter, he is fearless and attacks the ball with ferocity. Don’t get me wrong, Cross doesn’t shy away from contact, but Gant is special when it comes to stepping up and stopping the run.

So, FSU football didn’t sign Nick Cross, the secondary still has a lot of young talent. Sure, it sucks losing a recruit, but I don’t blame him. He made it known that he wanted to be a Seminole and he fought hard for it, but the decision was taken out of his hands. FSU fans should wish him luck at his school and then watch #DBU put more defensive backs in the NFL.