Elite Florida State DL commit officially placed on 'flip watch' ahead of the season

We've already talked about the prospects that FSU should try to flip before the early signing period, but what about the prospects in the class they need to keep?

At the top of that list has to be four-star defensive lineman Earnest Rankins; He is the centerpiece of a solid defensive line class that includes three-star prospects Tico Criittendon, Wihtley Cadeau and James Carrington.

FSU emerged late in Rankins' recruitment to beat out Auburn, but there's no doubt the Tigers are going to remain active on Rankins until the ink dries on his signature. The Ellenwood, Georgia prospect took an official visit to Auburn on May 16 and left there with the Tigers as his team to beat. Obviously, an official visit to Tallahassee a few weeks later gave Rankins something to think about.

Relationships have been key to Rankins and when he committed he talked about how close he was to Mike Norvell and the defensive line staff, led by position coach Terrance Knighton.

"[Norvell is] a good coach," Rankins told 247Sports. "Even the guys say that he might be tough, but he's still all love at the same time. So that's the main reason. Another coach would probably be, well really, the whole D-line staff, coach Meech [D'Mitri Emmanuel], coach [Terrance] Knighton. They all just been parents away from home when I was down there."

FSU must be prepared to fight off multiple SEC schools to keep Rankins

Auburn is the school that the focus is on for a Rankins flip, but don't be surprised if FSU doesn't have to fight off several SEC programs. Rankins is a top defensive line prospect in the Atlanta metro area and that puts him in the crosshairs of a lot of programs.

​Could the Georgia Bulldogs jump in the mix? Sure. They've been monitoring Rankins for years and at one time they were thought to be an early favorite. With the flip of James Johnson to Texas, there's room for another defensive lineman in the Bulldogs' class.

What about those nasty Gators? Or Tennessee? They are two programs that recruit that area heavily and might also try to jump in if they sense an opening. Rankins does have more official visits he can take.

The good news is Rankins is already in the class, which means he and the coaches are communicating often. Now they just have to make sure he has no reasons to look around.