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FSU basketball: Noles trending for 2022 five-star small forward

By Kelvin Hunt

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JANUARY 28: Head coach Leonard Hamilton of the the Florida State Seminoles watches a play in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on January 28, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JANUARY 28: Head coach Leonard Hamilton of the the Florida State Seminoles watches a play in the first half during a game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on January 28, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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No. 16 FSU basketball is coming off their biggest win of the season with their 21-point destruction of No. 7 Virginia.

The ACC regular-season defending champions look poised to make another run at the conference title while projected as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The good news continues for the Noles off the court for Leonard Hamilton, who has the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation for 2021.

The class included a five-star, two 4-stars, and a three-star transfer.

Hamilton has yet to garner a commit for the 2022 recruiting cycle, but that could change soon as the Noles are trending for another five-star talent in small forward Dariq Whitehead.

Whitehead hails from Montverde Academy in Montverde, FL, which was also the home of FSU’s Balsa Koprivica and Scottie Barnes.

Whitehead checks in at 6’5″ and 190 pounds and is considered the No. 9 player overall and No. 3 small forward in the 2022 class.

If Whitehead commits and signs with the Noles, it will be the fourth consecutive class FSU landed a five-star player.

Those players consist of Patrick Williams (2019), Scottie Barnes (2020), and Matthew Cleveland (2021).

Williams was the fourth overall selection in the NBA Draft this year, and Barnes projects to be a lottery selection next year.

I saw the Noles are trending because two 247 Crystal Ball Predictions in favor of the Noles dropped Wednesday with medium confidence from two writers with excellent prediction accuracy.

I’m sure it helps Whitehead favor the Noles by seeing two former Montverde players excelling under Leonard Hamilton.

Scottie Barnes averages 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists as a freshman. Balsa Koprivica has scouts salivating as his game continues to develop while averaging nine points and six rebounds in just 19 minutes per game.

FSU’s profile has risen in the last five years or so under Leonard Hamilton, and it’s no coincidence that rise has coincided with getting elite players to choose the Noles.

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Whitehead could be an important piece to keep that momentum going in the right direction.

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