FSU football: Lucas Simmons commits to Noles over USC and Tennessee

FSU football recruiting needed a shot in the arm after Sunday’s debacle, and elite offensive lineman Lucas Simmons was the answer Monday afternoon.

Simmons committed to the Noles over USC, Tennessee, and Florida on CBS Sports HQ.

Simmons is the highest-ranked offensive lineman to commit to the Noles since the 2016 recruiting cycle when FSU signed Landon Dickerson and Baveon Johnson, who were both top 50 recruits.

Lucas Simmons ranks as the No. 109 player overall and joins blue-chip offensive lineman Roderick Kearney in the class, who checks in at No. 129 overall.

I felt the Noles had a realistic chance of getting Faulk based on how he handled his recruitment. Simmons saved his official visit for last, just like top 100 player Keldric Faulk, as they visited on the same weekend.

He visited FSU unofficially at least three times before his official visit and stated Alex Atkins was the coach he had the best relationship. Relationships matter, not to mention Roderick Kearney’s experience on his official visit to Florida may have put a bug in his ear. Kearney committed to FSU minutes after leaving his Florida official visit.

This is a massive addition for the Noles and moves their national ranking from No. 43 to No. 33 with 11 commitments. He also puts them over the 50 percent blue-chip ratio with six blue-chip commits.

Simmons lists 6’7″ and 300 pounds and ranks as the No. 13 offensive tackle nationally. This addition to the trenches supports my hypothesis of FSU allocating resources to impact positions and will likely continue to use the transfer portal at certain skill positions.

It’s a gamble that has paid off thus far, and an expected better season on the field could put them in play for more impact players. There are concerns at some positions, but we’ll have to see how they play out over the next five months. For now, let’s celebrate a massive recruiting win and welcome Lucas Simmons to Nolenation.