FSU football: 4-star 2023 DE Gabriel Harris de-commits from Noles

2023 FSU football recruiting is well underway, but the Noles lost one of their commitments in four-star defensive end Gabriel Harris.

The Georgia product committed to the Noles on February 18 and visited Tallahassee just two days ago.

However, Harris visited Ohio State’s camp before that and said he was hoping to earn a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes.

I knew then it was a matter of time, and it’s not a good look to have a commit talking like that about other schools. I wouldn’t be surprised if that conversation took place while on campus and Harris decided to de-commit Monday evening:

The statement from Harris was respectful and made sense. He’s ranked as one of the top players in the country nation but only has 10 offers.

That will likely change as he visits more schools and attends more camps with things opening back up.

Thoughts

It’s a long time until 2023 graduates can sign and enroll. I don’t put a ton of stock into 2023 commits or de-commits. These recruits have experienced something out of this world over the last year have never been experienced by recruits.

Harris does fit a position of need, but the coaching staff has already begun addressing the lack of talent and depth at defensive end.

Harris hasn’t gotten the offer from Ohio State yet, so that will tell us a lot if and when that happens. Will he pull the trigger and commit there? That seems to be the case the way he talked about wanting the offer.

It’s a long game, and I’m sure the coaching staff will continue to recruit him the same as they have with 2022 de-commit Nyjalik Kelly.

The coaching staff wants quality players, but they also want those players to make the best possible decision for themselves. It’s best to make the best decision now instead of dealing with a player declaring for the transfer portal a year later.