After a disappointing first season, Florida State Head Coach Willie Taggart has landed some big-time prospects in what should be an exciting class for the Seminoles.
The Florida State Seminoles have a reputation as one of the top recruiting schools in the country. That reputation was put to the test after Willie Taggart’s team didn’t qualify for a bowl last season after finishing at an underwhelming 3-5 in conference, finishing fifth in the ACC.
Their recruiting class for this season, however, hasn’t disappointed to the same degree as Taggart’s first season in Tallahassee.
The Seminoles class sits at No. 16 nationally, and second in the ACC. Last year, they finished 11th nationally, and third in the ACC.
The Seminoles class is led by cornerback Akeem Dent, who is currently rated as the seventh-best corner in the nation, and the No. 50 player in the Class of 2019. Dent is backed up by quite a few solid recruits, and have a massive ten four-star recruits overall. The Seminoles have, thus far, continued a great history of recruiting top-secondary players.
Next up on the top-recruits list for the Seminoles is safety Nick Cross. Cross is expected to sign on National Signing Day, and currently sits as the best player in the state of Maryland, and the fourth-best safety in the class. Cross narrowly missed out on a spot in the top-50, coming in at No. 55 nationally.
Taggart’s Seminoles also have landed commitments from a few other solid four-star players in safety Brendan Gant, offensive guard Dontae Lucas, and cornerback Travis Jay, with three other four-star recruits already enrolled in classes at FSU. It’s not hard to see that Florida State has really hit the in-state recruiting trail hard, as nine of the classes’ 10 four-star recruits are in-state products.
The Noles did suffer a loss on Signing Day as they were unable to land the No. 9 dual-threat QB, four-star recruit Lance LeGendre out of Warren Easton in New Orleans. He picked Maryland and playing for Mike Locksley who oversaw Tua Tagovailoa and Alabama’s offense last year. This one will sting for Florida State after losing the commitment of quarterback Sam Howell to North Carolina earlier in the recruiting process.
The class is also rounded out by 10 other three-star recruits for the Seminoles. After a disappointing year, a deep class should add some competition to positional battles when camp rolls around. Without a doubt, some of these young commits will see early playing time in their careers at Florida State and have an immediate impact on a team that floundered in conference play last year. With a little luck, Taggart may have found a foothold in Florida that will allow his Seminoles team to get back into the swing of things.
FSU recruiting class grade: B-