FSU football: 2023 DB commit Ja’Bril Rawls receives rankings boost

One thing you’ve consistently heard me say about the FSU football coaching staff is they are great talent evaluators.

They don’t pay attention to who has how many stars or who has offered because they are not afraid to trust their evaluations.

A prime example is 2023 defensive back commit Ja’Bril Rawls. Rawls committed to the staff about two months ago and ranked as the No. 998 player and No. 97 ranked cornerback.

FSU fans were up in arms about how he wasn’t a blue-chip player and questioning why the staff would accept his commitment.

Fast forward two months, and Rawls ranks as the No. 668 player and No. 66 cornerback and probably still underrated by recruiting sites.

The speed burst he displays to track down blue-chip WR Raymond Cottrell was impressive.

Here’s what I said when he committed:

"They have been solid in their player evaluations at defensive back, so the low ranking doesn’t scare me. Rawls has good length and seems to play with a chip on his shoulder."

The other thing I liked about Rawls is he came to compete at FSU camps and wanted to earn the offer. The coaching staff noticed that and could see the work ouput and speed with which Rawls moved during the camps. His numbers must have been off the charts for them to accept his commitment at the time he chose to commit. Stars matter in recruiting, but it’s more about the coaching staff’s ability to evaluate the best players that fit the scheme they’re running on offensve and defense.

However, it says a lot about a coaching staff that can evaluate and isn’t afraid to offer a player that’s ranked low and doesn’t have a ton of Power Five offers. We saw the same thing earlier with WR commit Vandrevius Jacobs, who committed as a three-star and now ranks as a blue-chip prospect. The first player to commit to Mike Norvell was defensive lineman Joshua Farmer who didn’t have a composite ranking when he committed and is budding into a young star on the FSU defensive line. This staff can evaluate.