Florida State Football Recruitment: Commitments, Opportunities, Transfer Portal

The Florida State Seminoles football program has been eventful for the past month, starting with what can best be described as the emotional roller coaster on the first day of the early signing season, culminating in a fantastic transfer portal class as the second spring semester begins in Tallahassee. I’ve been asked my thoughts more often than I remember, but I’ve been hesitant to respond in threads because this is such a complex chain of events. However, after consideration, I will try to understand everything as well as possible. I want to make it clear that these thoughts are mine and only mine.

First, Travis Hunter.

I’m sure you know the story now Hunter amazed the country by choosing the state of Jackson Over the state of Florida. Many Seminole fans took the news firmly, myself included, because Hunter is a generation of talent and would have been a huge addition to the program. When he visited the state of Jackson, many of us felt like he was just taking the opportunity to spend time with one of his idols in Deion Sanders. It is our fault when we underestimate the situation and the amount of resources that were eventually used to secure his signature.

I say this: I believe Travis Hunter when he says he truly loves FSU and its coaching staff. I don’t think he lied when he was committed for two years, and I think he was all set to play in the Noles until the Jackson State visit took place. He was a # Tribe22 beeper and helped FSU land or enter a serious race on behalf of many talented players. I am grateful to him for that. He waited to shock the world until the ESP, and I am also grateful for that. Had he turned earlier, the FSU class could have made a big downward turn. I think his decision was twofold: he wanted to send shock waves across the nation (wherever he reached), and he also wanted the FSU class to be stable (whatever it was). I think his love for FSU helped influence his actions in this regard.

Hunter made a decision with tremendous social pressure. He has decided to make his NFL dream come true through the HBCU route, and he hopes his decision will be culturally significant and will affect other young black athletes to sign with HBCU. Since I’ve never been a young black man, I can’t and won’t pretend to understand the cultural significance of this personally, but I know representation matters, and I have tremendous respect for Travis, who conjures his own footprint. For him and many others, this is a decision that goes far beyond the football field. However, Hunter is now locked in his word on several levels. He has to stay in JSU long enough to get into the league – if he decides to move elsewhere, he won’t just stop at his words – he will deceive many people.

He knows the challenge ahead: JSU’s facilities, nutrition program, level of competition (in practice and game days), and fan support are pale compared to the big programs. He is at a disadvantage compared to his peers who chose those colleges and their facilities and programs. Hunter hears stories of choosing to be a big fish in a small pond, afraid to compete at the highest level, sell out the highest bidder, etc. He bets on himself, and I sincerely hope he wins the bet. I’m still a Travis Hunter fan.

However, I have one big problem with his behavior. In a recent interview with 247 Andrew Ivins, Hunter said of Mike Norvell, “He found out just like everyone else found out – on television.”

If this is true, it is incredibly disappointing. Don’t tease me with the “he’s only 18” story. When someone invests in you for years and resources, you won’t let him know on TV like everyone else. I fully understand how immature children can be – I work at university – but this is on another level. And trust me, I have long criticized children who do such tricks in recruiting, whether they are FSU interests or not. I recall Patrick Robinson’s transition from UF to FSU on the day of signing. When he was interviewed about how he informed the Gators, he replied “They just saw it, so now they know” or something like that. It’s just not the right way to do it, and I hope Hunter learns from the mistake and grows with it. Many thanks to Norvell and his staff for reacting so gracefully.

I’m not going to waste a lot of space on the “Prime Time” program. He was hired to do the job, and he does it. Whether or not his intentions are true will become clear in due course, and he must live with any admiration or criticism that his actions bring.

Second, the tribe 22.

I’m excited about this high school class. Recruiting an offensive line is a highlight for me, as FSU not only kept its existing commitments, but added an incredibly important piece to Julian Armella during the ESP. Armella, Jaylen Early, Qae’shon Sapp, Kanaya Charlton, and Daughter Richardson represent 1,556 pounds of humanity (an average of 311 pounds). FSU welcomes the QB potential of the best preparation achieved over the years AJ Duffy, who was considered the best performer during his all-star game week practice. Underestimated RB view Rodney Hill is associated with two fascinating developments in TE Jerrale Powers and Brian Courtney to supplement the offense. Yes, FSU lost Devaughn Mortimer to Louisville, but he can be easily replaced. More on that later why I didn’t really catch an eye for not coming to Tallahassee.

The coaches also pulled a rabbit hat by winning the Azareyeh Thomas draw. Thomas has long been one of my favorites, and bringing him to FSU is a huge deal. In the meantime, close Sam McCall make sure Noles has two top athletes working in the defensive backfield (and who knows, maybe in the attack as well). Pound Omar Graham, Jr. was an incredible senior season, and FSU made four defensive linemen at DT Bishop Thomas and Daniel Lyons and DEs Aaron Hester and Dante Anderson (the latter as the most popular walk, no less).

You don’t see among the stats and highlights how many of these guys have leadership potential and should fit well in the locker room. Given the adversity faced by FSU and its coaching staff throughout the season, it is absolutely excellent to lead this high school class. This category is good for 14th place in the country and 2nd place in ACC. FSU continues to have a commitment to a versatile lineman Antvious “Tae” Woody, and as long as he takes care of things in the classroom, FSU will remain in excellent condition to get his signature in February. Speaking of …

Third, national signing date.

FSU is likely to have a quiet national signing date on February 2nd. Assuming Woody gets his investigators in order, FSU will send him the papers to sign, and he will likely keep his FSU promise. Whether he’s playing on the offensive or defensive line, there’s a funny story to watch. We hear that he is interested in playing on a line of defense where I would personally see him.

Noles will continue to assess the prospects for preparation in the coming weeks. We know they have communicated with several players, including former Georgia DL Commitment Christen Miller and former Minnesota DE Commitment Jack Pyburn, but neither is likely to progress. A number of FSU’s previously recruited potential individuals still exist, such as LB EJ Lightsey and RB Terrance Gibbs, but FSU is very selective about the remaining areas of preparation. This is because …

Finally, Transfer Portal Success.

I’ll dive deeper later this week into the philosophy and strategy of the coach transfer portal (as I see it), but NO ONE can deny that FSU has won the portal over the past several weeks. I’ve been talking for a long time about how the transfer portal has changed recruitment forever, and it’s very clear that Norvell & Co. has targeted the portal this offseason to help translate a list that was in worse shape than even the closest of us realized. Seminoles welcomes nine new transfers this spring.

FSU and WR coach Ron Dugans notoriously failed to bring in any prep-wide receiver during the early signing season. Mike Norvell has fixed the issue by taking four yes, four wide receivers from the transfer portal. Each has a different skill set to meet the need, and everyone has several years of eligibility requirements left.

FSU brought two offensive line-ups to add OT Bless Harris and C Kayden Lyles to the huge preparation for OL. Lyles is expected to take on the starting role, while Harris offers much-needed depth in the tackle and competes for the starting position. FSU also received the CB Greedy Vance, which brought with it a sincere challenger to the nickel start-up role.

Oh, and Seminoles also got immediate starters in two major roles in LB Tatum Bethune and DE Jared Verse, perhaps the hottest name in defense so far. Bethune will be a starter as soon as she steps on campus, and Verse will be a big part of the defensive head rotation.

Florida State is also not made on the portal. During and after the spring ball, a new wave of transmission will inevitably strike the portal, and FSU will continue to assess and determine the best fit throughout the summer. We’re not entirely sure how the numbers will vibrate, but there will be more wear in the spring, trust it. I expect the tribe to have four more moves from some combination of a real OT, another LB, a QB, another defensive lineman, a runner, and maybe even a tight end to complete FSU’s transfer to September.

I understand that negative things can outweigh positive ones for many people. Travis Hunter was certainly a tough loss for this class, but I don’t think it’s worth staying in it. Instead, I encourage Seminoles fans to focus on the guys who decided to join the Tribe and help Mike Norvell move forward in CLIMB, as there are a lot of great players and storylines in this group.

Tell us your opinion in the comments section and be sure to check out the latest transfer portal thread and recruitment chain for more updates.