FSU football: Three thoughts on 2023 FSU recruiting
By Kelvin Hunt
Strategic Plan/Resources
There are flaws in this class punctuated by the lack of proven recruiters on the coaching staff. FSU offensive coordinator Alex Atkins clearly has a tiered system and the ability to qualify his targets. FSU defensive end coach and defensive tackle coach John Papuchis and Odell Haggins seem to have the same approach.
QB coach Tony Tokarz is new, but judging how he has handled things, I think he understands the tiered system. Marcus Woodson understands it, but I’ll have thoughts on defensive backs recruiting shortly.
Ron Dugans seems to have a tiered system in 2023. I don’t know if I can say the same for tight-end coach Chris Thomsen and Randy Shannon. I think Adam Fuller is a solid defensive coordinator, but I don’t know what he does as a recruiter.
Overall, they have a strategy to target certain players at key positions, and then look to take the best athlete they can find at others, with hopes of developing them.
They have limited resources when it comes to NIL, and those resources are going to those key positions(OL, DL, DE, WR, and possibly LB).
I think there are not enough realistic difference-makers at QB, TE, and in the secondary this recruiting cycle to waste those resources and will put the remaining towards 2024. After all, they signed a blue-chip QB and two top 100 defensive backs, all of who early enrolled in the spring. Also, have you seen the FSU 2024 recruiting class? It consists of six commits, two players ranked in the top 75 and likely all of them will be blue-chip recruits by this time next year. They will need resources, especially if they win and begin competing for more elite players.
This tells you all you need to know...that DB could have the exact same film...and if some recruiting service slapped a 4-star beside his name...these kats would be foaming at the mouth and not saying a negative thing. pic.twitter.com/c2gIIlyHDK
— Built For Playmakers Podcast (@Built4Playmaker) August 1, 2022
Some folks complained about the defensive back commit from Monday, but I didn’t mind the take. The young man has been to campus four times this spring and worked out at two different camps. It’s clear he wants to be a Nole and isn’t a bad player. I look at it like a reward of sorts, and it’s not like he’s expected to start in year one.
I think the staff knows they are not going to sign any elite defensive backs, so they are looking to find the best athletes possible to develop.
He’ll have time to develop, which is something the FSU coaches have done a solid job of over the past year.