FSU football has been generating a high amount of momentum on the recruiting trail this off-season after its successful 2022 season.
As it stands, the Seminoles rank No. 8 in the 2024 247Sports Composite rankings. The following prospects are committed to the class at this time:
- Five-star TE Landen Thomas
- Four-star QB Luke Kromenhoek
- Four-star RB Kameron Davis
- Four-star WR Camdon Frier
- Four-star WR Tawaski Abrams
- Four-star WR BJ Gibson
- Four-star WR Lawayne McCoy
- Three-star DT Jamorie Flagg
- Three-star LB Jayden Parrish
- Three-star S CJ Heard
- Three-star K Jake Weinberg
Florida State wants to continue acquiring high-touted prospects to strengthen the future of its program.
In this article, I will be breaking down the defensive recruiting board for the Seminoles. If you missed the offensive portion, be sure to click here to get caught up on all of the action!
DEFENSIVE LINE
The defensive line will look completely different in 2024 as defensive ends Jared Verse and Dennis Briggs Jr., as well as defensive tackles Fabien Lovett Sr. and Braden Fiske will be moving on to the next chapters in their respective journeys. That list of names is not even accounting for redshirt sophomore defensive end Patrick Payton, who could emerge as a household name in 2023. That is a ton of production to replace in one season.
As a result, the defensive line could be looking at featuring some new faces. This fact could be a new recruiting tool to showcase transfers and recruits. Seminole fans know how great FSU has been the last few years with acquiring and developing pass rushers via the transfer portal with Jermaine Johnson II and Jared Verse.
However, it seems this coaching staff wants to make its mark on the recruiting trail in terms of acquiring defensive tackles and ends. Florida State has one defensive lineman committed to their recruiting class, with three-star defensive tackle Jamorie Flagg from Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Florida.
But Flagg isn’t the only prospect that they want to take in the class. Here are some to monitor:
- Four-star DE Booker Pickett Jr.
- Four-star DE Dylan Stephenson
- Four-star DE Dominic Nichols
- Four-star DE Kamarion Franklin
- Four-star DE/DT LJ McCray
- Four-star DE DD Holmes
- Four-star DT D’antre Robinson
- Three-star DT Alex January
- Three-star DE/DT Melvin Hills III
With the recent expert predictions trending in FSU’s favor, I expect four-star defensive end Dylan Stephenson to be the most likely out of the prospects to monitor to commit to the good guys.
COMMITTED: 1
NEED: 3-5
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
DEFENSIVE BACK
There is a new sheriff in town as Florida State hired Patrick Surtain Sr. this offseason to be their new defensive backs coach. One of the positives in hiring Surtain Sr. was his ability to develop at the position and his potential recruiting prowess (specifically in the South Florida area).
However, Seminoles fans have not seen the benefits on the recruiting trail yet for Coach Surtain, as FSU only has three-star safety CJ Heard from Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia committed to the program. Heard was recruited by former defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson. The Seminoles have also seen four-star Jordan Pride de-commit from the program (later committed to Texas A&M).
The recruiting board for the defensive backfield is loaded and filled with prospects such as:
- Five-star CB Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia commit)
- Five-star CB Charles Lester III
- Five-star S KJ Bolden
- Four-star S Zaquan Patterson
- Four-star S Ricardo Jones
- Four-star S Brandon Jacob
- Four-star S Travaris Banks
- Four-star S Fred Gaskin III
- Four-star S Jarvis Boatwright
- Four-star CB PJ Woodland
- Four-star CB Jamari Howard (Michigan State)
- Four-star CB Wardell Mack
- Four-star CB Ricky Knight III
- Four-star CB Jalewis Solomon
- Four-star CB Cai Bates
- Four-star CB Marcellus Barnes Jr. (recently offered)
- Four-star CB Jameer Grimsley
- Three-star S Ryan Mack
- Three-star S Ashton Hampton
- Three-star CB Chalil Cummings
- Three-star CB Amare Sanders (recently offered)
I realize that I just named off a ton of prospects to monitor. However, five-star cornerback Charles Lester III (who has multiple predictions to commit with the Seminoles), five-star safety KJ Bolden (who may be considered a long shot due to not having an official visit scheduled with FSU yet), four-star safety Ricardo Jones, and four-star cornerback Jalewis Solomon, and four-star cornerback Ricky Knight III should be highlighted within that list.
COMMITTED: 1
NEED: 2-3