FSU has to make a play to get 4-star EDGE prospect on campus and away from the SEC

Ever since Nick Williams joined Mike Norvell's staff, the edge rusher/outside linebackers coach has received high marks and shown a willingness to battle for blue-chip recruits despite FSU's recent struggles to attract top-end talent to the program.

But Williams is facing an uphill battle for in-state recruit Frederick Ards that has seen the once viable target for the Seminoles now fade to the point of where the Seminoles staff is in a battle with Missouri to simply get him on campus for an official visit.

FSU is working hard to get 4-star EDGE Frederick Ards on campus

For much of Ards' recruitment, he has said that Texas A&M was a team that stood out, and we all know what the Aggies bring to the table in terms of resources. Also in that group was FSU, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama. Four of those schools have scheduled official visits from Ards. He took his trip to South Carolina this past weekend. After that trip, Ards told 247Sports writer Zach Blostein that he was looking at either FSU or Missouri to be his last official visit on June 19.

It's a concerning update for a player that Williams had been very aggressively recruiting and an in-state prospect from a program (Jones High in Orlando) that has plenty of FBS-worthy prospects and has been good for FSU over the years. The Seminoles staff were going to have to push hard for Ards' recruitment, but the thought of them not getting an official visit was an unexpected development.

FSU needs a top-end edge rusher in this recruiting class

The Seminoles have not figured out the edge position for a couple of years. Things started out well in the portal with Jermaine Johnson and Jared Verse, both of whom were named ACC Defensive Player of the Year during their time at FSU and eventually became first-round picks. FSU invested heavily in the position for 2024 with a big raise for Patrick Payton to stay in Tallahassee and bringing in Marvin Jones Jr., a former five-star recruit and Seminole legacy, through the transfer portal. It didn't work out and the failure of that unit eventually cost Adam Fuller his job as defensive coordinator. 

Last year, FSU brought in James Williams from Nebraska, hoping his familiarity with Tony White's system would allow him to be a difference maker. However, the move turned out to be a massive disappointment, and he transferred to Oklahoma State after one season. This year FSU has brought in Rylan Kennedy from Texas A&M in hopes that he can emerge, but Norvell can't just continue to address the problem with one-year solutions.

Nick Williams, who was hired after two seasons at Syracuse and has previous stints at Georgia, Texas A&M and Colorado, has been going after top players like Ards and four-star recruit Abraham Sesay. He has the energy and commitment to recruiting that FSU fans love to see from coaches on the staff, but now it's time for Williams to deliver on some of these big names he has been courting. 

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