For the most part, recruiting in the 2027 class has settled, at least for now. There will be considerable movement up on signing day in December, but that will likely pick up as recruits take game-day visits during the fall.
Until then, movement will be scarce, but Florida State got a bit of it as three-star running back target Asa Barnes chose Tennessee over FSU, Arkansas, and USC. The Seminoles were ostensibly in the mix for the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Martin, Tennessee native, but after his post-commitment comments on Wednesday, it seems they never had a real shot.
"Being a Tennessee native and hearing how glorious it is to play in Neyland in front of 100k fans, along with all the coaches pouring into me, I just could definitely see myself there in the future," Barnes said of his commitment to the Volunteers.
The in-state factor really matters to Barnes. That’s hard to compete with, and it’s exactly what Norvell never quite established since taking over in Tallahassee.
Josh Heupel taught Mike Norvell a recruiting lesson with Asa Barnes commitment
This time of year, as fall camp begins and coaching staffs begin to hyper-focus on their current roster, recruiting efforts slow. That’s especially true for FSU with a Week 0 season-opener and an earlier fall camp, which kicked off on Wednesday. So, the Seminoles will likely be stuck on 17 commits and just hoping to hold on through what could be a tumultuous campaign.
Adding Barnes was probably never likely for FSU, and its late movement to nab commitments from top-100 safety Ta’Shawn Poole and reclassified EDGE Meshi Dobson has been promising. The Noles also already have four-star running back Jayden Miles in the 2027 class, a commitment they’ve held since early June.
So, the Barnes commitment doesn’t sting quite as bad as his reasoning does, holding a mirror up to all the problems FSU has had recruiting in the Sunshine State. Heupel hasn’t gotten Tennessee back to national title contention, but he’s rebuilt the in-state pride for that program, even as Vanderbilt has slowly carved out its place in Nashville as a real recruiting force.
It’s not the same as competing with Florida and Miami. Not even close. But Barnes has clearly dreamt of playing for the Vols. It means something to him. As it does for the No. 1 recruit in Tennessee, five-star running back David Gabriel Georges, who chose Heupel’s program over Ohio State earlier this week.
Heupel hasn’t shut down the border; far from it. However, he has the top two recruits in his state locked down and five of the top 10. Barnes, No. 22 in Tennessee, is the 10th in-state commit for the Vols in this cycle, out of a 19-player class.
Conversely, Florida State’s top-ranked in-state recruit, granted in a much more talent-rich and competitive state, is Za’Kari Johnson at No. 30. With seven of 17 commits hailing from Florida, which again has significantly more talent to pick from than Tennessee, that pride doesn’t seem to exist the same way for the Noles as it does for the Vols.
FSU never had a real chance to pry Barnes away from UT. That’s clear in hindsight. But more troubling is that the Seminoles are now forced to rely on out-of-state recruits after years of Norvell’s inadequate efforts in Florida.
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