FSU football: 4-star CB Ricky Knight III chooses Noles over Miami

FSU football fans can finally stop wondering when defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. will get his first commitment since being hired by the Seminoles on January 18, 2023.

On Saturday afternoon, Class of 2024 four-star cornerback target Ricky Knight III from Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Florida (transferred from The Benjamin School this offseason) announced that he was committing to Florida State.

The Seminoles were very high on Knight III as they were the first team to offer the talented defensive back a scholarship on January 15, 2023. That love and affection from the university certainly factored in his recruitment.

After receiving the offer, he unofficially visited FSU on January 20, 2023. After that, there was mutual interest between Knight III and the Seminoles as he began to develop a relationship with the newly hired Surtain Sr.

Check out the announcement as it happened live:

One reason behind hiring Surtain Sr. as a defensive backs coach was due to the relationships that he has developed, primarily in the South Florida area.

It paid dividends in the recruitment of Knight III. He had a busy official visit schedule this summer, where he took trips to Penn State (June 2-4), Illinois (June 9-11), Florida State (June 16-18), and Miami (June 23-25).

It seemed like it could have been a disastrous recruitment for FSU, given the fact that Knight III utilized his last official visit to the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes before announcing his commitment on Saturday (July 1st).

Thankfully, the last impression did not signify a commitment to the Hurricanes, and a commitment occurred featuring the good guys.

For reference, the commitment of Knight III does not impact the recruitments of five-star Charles Lester III, four-star Jalewis Solomon, or three-star Kevin Levy. All of those prospects are still takes at this moment in time.

With the recent commitment (including Holmes), the Seminoles move to No. 16 in the 247Sports Composite rankings.