Florida State football can’t afford to miss on this 5-star recruit in 2021

Amarius Mims would be a stellar addition to the FSU football recruiting class.

Florida State football recruiting classes usually finish among the nation’s best, but that hasn’t been the case in recent years since Jimbo Fisher left. With Mike Norvell in his first year with the Seminoles, the hope is the former Memphis head coach will be able to convince five-star recruits to play for Florida State.

Norvell has time to get things turned around in Tallahassee, and he can make a huge splash on the recruiting trail if he and his staff can land Amarius Mims in 2021.

Mims is 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds. The Cochran, Georgia native is the No. 1 player from Georgia, the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 6 player in his recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

The Bleckley County High School standout has 19 offers, including Florida State, who have the nation’s No. 20 class, according to the 247Sports Team Rankings. However, the Seminoles are chasing five southeastern blue-bloods for his commitment. It’ll be tough sledding to get him.

The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs are his early leaders with the Auburn Tigers, the Clemson Tigers and the LSU Tigers rounding out the top five. Staying in-state Georgia makes sense, but Macon isn’t really all that far away from getting into the Florida State part of Georgia country. Could Florida State get Mims’ commitment?

Amarius Mims could be the five-star to help get Florida State back to good.

It still remains very unlikely Mims will play his college football for the Seminoles, but that doesn’t mean Florida State shouldn’t try to get one of the top-10 players in his class. Norvell has made offensive line coach Alex Atkins his primary recruiter and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kenny Dillingham on as his second recruiter to give Florida State its best shot at him.

The good news is Mims doesn’t seem to be interested in playing for another Power 5 school in Florida, so if he goes to an SEC school, it’s not going to be the end of the world. However, should he take his talents to Clemson, South Carolina and play for Dabo Swinney, then Florida State will have to deal with that decision for at least the next three years in ACC Atlantic play.

Every first-year head coach sets the tone with who he brings into the program in his first recruiting class. Norvell and his staff did a fantastic job harnessing and cultivating talent in Memphis. With Florida being a much more talent-rich state than Tennessee, look for plenty of three and four-star players to flourish under Norvell in the next few years.

However, getting not only a five-star but the best player from a neighboring state that has serious College Football Playoff aspirations annually, now that is how you get attention in major college football. Norvell isn’t going to bring Florida State football back to national relevancy overnight, but he can make a giant first step in the right direction if he can pluck Mims out of the Peach State.

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