4-star defensive back target is down to Florida State and Tennessee

Florida State football ranks as the seventeenth-best recruiting class in the 2025 cycle according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. However, the coaching staff wants to continue to acquire talent for the program as they accomplished success on the football field over the past two years.

The Seminoles have benefitted from hiring defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. as his development of the position room as well as his recruiting ability are on full display.

Florida State will have to replace the likes of Jarrian Jones, Renardo Green, and Akeem Dent in the secondary. As a result, it will be an uphill battle. However, it is nice to have cornerbacks Azareye'h Thomas and Fentrell Cypress II as well as safety Shyheim Brown in the rotation for the 2024 season.

It is worth mentioning that Thomas, Cypress II, and Brown could all head to the NFL after this season. That is why it is important to continue to recruit for the position. The Seminoles value defensive backs in their defensive scheme where they rotate the secondary to ensure their players stay fresh.

Florida State already has four-star cornerback Gregory "Zae" Thomas and three-star safety Max Redmon in its recruiting class. However, they are not finished yet as they would like to secure one or two more recruits in the secondary.

One target to monitor is four-star cornerback Otis Konanbanny from Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, South Carolina. He announced on Sunday that he will be choosing between Florida State and Tennessee.

The Seminoles might be facing an uphill battle as the Volunteers hold the crystal ball advantage and he utilized his last official visit of June with Tennessee on the weekend of June 21st.

However, Florida State pressed all of the right buttons as Konanbanny officially visited the Seminoles on the weekend of May 31st and even got the opportunity to FaceTime former Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey.

Surtain Sr. and company will continue to push for Konanbanny's services as he has not officially scheduled a date to commit as of now.