Can Florida State secure 4-star OL Carde Smith after his de-commitment from Auburn?

Florida State recruiting is starting to heat up after the commitments of four-star wide receiver CJ Wiley and four-star defensive tackle Kevin Wynn. The 2025 class for the Seminoles is starting to shape up nicely.

There have been prospects that have trending in another direction such as four-star offensive tackle Ziyare Addison to Oregon, four-star interior offensive lineman Dontrell Glover to Georgia, four-star interior offensive lineman Max Buchanan to Miami, and four-star cornerback Shamar Arnoux to USC.

However, there is no need to push the panic button as recruiting is ever-changing. The target boards change drastically over time. Prospects fans think they are high priorities in June will not be high in October.

That is just the way recruiting works. We have seen it several times. We cannot get so caught up on recruiting rankings during the summer. While the coaching staff starts to generate recruiting momentum in the summer with official visitors, a lot can happen between now and the December Early Signing Period.

I realize that three highly-touted offensive line prospects have committed elsewhere. However, it is important to note that offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins is considered one of the best recruiters on the coaching staff. He knows how to relate with transfer portal prospects and recruits. Not to mention, he has transformed the offensive line position group into a respectable unit.

Atkins will have more targets trending towards Florida State. One domino effect happened on Wednesday afternoon as four-star offensive lineman Carde Smith from Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama de-committed from Auburn.

Before committing to the Tigers, Florida State was considered a team to watch for the talented offensive lineman. I know what fans are thinking: "I don't trust prospects from the state of Alabama after what happened with former four-star defensive end Keldric Faulk."

However, I always say to recruit highly-touted prospects regardless of where they are from. This coaching staff does a tremendous job of developing relationships. He came for an unofficial visit to the Seminoles on April 20th after he committed to Auburn on April 10th.

I could envision Smith taking an official visit to Tallahassee during the season for one of the Seminoles' games.