FSU football: 4-star DE Lugard Edokpayi includes Noles in top four schools list

FSU football has seen a heightened level of success on the gridiron this season where they possess a 9-0 record and are squarely in the mix for the College Football Playoff.

This football program has come a long way in terms of trusting the process. During the first season of the Mike Norvell era, the Seminoles finished the 2020 season with a 3-6 record. Then the second season did not create a warm and fuzzy feeling for fans either as they went 5-7 with a historic loss to FCS opponent Jacksonville State.

However, the coaching staff and players believed in the CLIMB and followed it up with a memorable 2022 season where they accomplished Florida State’s 25th 10-win season in program history.

Fast forward to 2023, recruits are starting to take notice of the efforts on the football field. It is requires prospects to have a wait-and-see mindset. The coaching staff has taken full advantage of the success.

The Seminoles currently rank No. 4 in the 2024 247Sports’ Composite rankings with 22 prospects committed to the class.

While spots are limited, Florida State’s coaching staff wants to add the finishing touches to the future foundation of the program. One position that could be addressed in this recruiting class is the defensive line.

The Seminoles will be losing the services of current defensive linemen such as Fabien Lovett Sr., Braden Fiske, Dennis Briggs Jr., Jared Verse (if he declares for the NFL), among others.

As of right now, Florida State has three defensive linemen committed to their class in four-star defensive end Armondo Blount, four-star defensive end DD Holmes, and three-star defensive tackle Jamorie Flagg.

One target to monitor going forward is four-star defensive end Lugard Edokpayi from Bowie, Maryland. On Tuesday afternoon, he included Florida State, Texas A&M, Maryland, and Minnesota in his top four schools list.

This could be a recruitment that the Seminoles could get heavily involved with as he is set to officially visit Tallahassee on the weekend of December 9th. The coaching staff would like to at least add one more defensive lineman to their recruiting class.