FSU Football: Understanding the 2023 recruiting cycle

Final thoughts about other question marks

This coaching staff operates methodically and purposefully with a plan for everything. They have a history of addressing needs and attempting to satiate them to their best ability.

We have seen how they attacked offensive line recruiting and recruiting in the transfer portal.

They lost Luk Altmeyer in the 2020 class and recovered to get McKenzie Milton in the transfer portal. Chubba Purdy transfers out, and they have Nicco Marchiol in the fold, so they continue to pursue the position and get AJ Duffy. While Marchiol does end up de-committing, it set the precedence that they are trying to patch a hole in the roster.

They got Chris Parsons committed early in the process and are trying to find the right person to pair with him in the quarterback class. We also see this in the 2024 recruiting class, where Luke Kromenhoek is in the class early, and the infrastructure exists, should the need arise, add another 2024 quarterback to the class.

The question mark that exists for me is the linebacker position. In three recruiting cycles, they have added roughly six linebackers, one moved to safety, and two left the program without contributing.

Adding a grad transfer, Tatum Bethune seems like a band-aid on a greater problem. With seven total at the position on the roster to fit into two/two-and-a-half positions in the base nickel formation, it makes the room very thin should there be injuries or more attrition.

And how many of those seven does this staff trust to contribute to the team regularly and at a high level? Two, three, maybe D.J. Lundy makes four if he improves in coverage. Seeing the history of the position at FSU makes this deficit in talent and depth of talent all the more frustrating.

That bodes for most of the roster, but the staff is turning it around, and I mostly see the plan.