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FSU football: Defensive recruiting 2024 target board

By Taylor Devers

Chief Osceola plunges his spear into the field as the Seminoles and the Ragin' Cajuns face off at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla.Fsu 22
Chief Osceola plunges his spear into the field as the Seminoles and the Ragin' Cajuns face off at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022 in Tallahassee, Fla.Fsu 22 /
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LINEBACKER

The Seminoles’ linebacker depth has taken a hit this offseason with the departures of redshirt senior Brendan Gant, redshirt senior Amari Gainer, and redshirt junior Stephen Dix Jr. to the transfer portal. However, the Seminoles added three talented linebacker prospects in their 2023 recruiting class with four-star Blake Nichelson (summer enrollee), three-star DeMarco Ward, and three-star Dylan Brown-Turner (summer enrollee).

Florida State received fantastic news this offseason as veteran linebackers Tatum Bethune (84 tackles) and Kalen DeLoach (63 tackles) announced they would return for their senior seasons in 2023. Redshirt junior DJ Lundy (48 tackles) is also a player that performed well in 2022 and will be looking to make a name for himself in 2023. But who will emerge as a viable depth piece behind those three linebackers? Redshirt freshman Omar Graham Jr? Will it be one of the true freshmen?

When discussing how the Seminoles will handle depth purposes during the 2023 season, it is also fair to assess how FSU’s linebacker rotation will fare when Bethune and DeLoach’s eligibilities exceed. Can linebackers coach Randy Shannon develop the linebackers on the roster into something special? Will they have to dabble back into the transfer portal to find their replacements? It is important to note that the Seminoles like to run a lot of 4-2-5, which means they primarily utilize two linebackers on the field.

Currently, FSU only has one linebacker prospect committed to their 2024 recruiting class in three-star Jayden Parrish from Atlantic High School in Delray Beach, Florida.

The Seminoles’ linebacker recruiting target board is very confusing to decipher at the moment. There have not been many prospects with a ton of traction trending positively toward the program. Prospects that FSU has been recruiting include the following:

  • Four-star Zavier Hamilton
  • Four-star Edwin Spillman
  • Three-star Chris Cole
  • Three-star Jeremiah Marcelin
  • Unranked Zach Smith
  • Unranked Timir Hickman-Collins (offered recently)
  • Unranked Wyatt Simmons (offered recently)

I could envision the Seminoles acquiring one more recruit in this cycle and then venturing into the transfer portal for an experienced option next off-season.

COMMITTED: 1

NEED: 1-2

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