Florida State’s recruiting class received a major boost Tuesday when five-star cornerback Jalen Ramsey flipped from Southern Cal to the Seminoles.
Now FSU coach Jimbo Fisher hopes to carry that momentum into Wednesday’s signing day.
FSU is in the running for a group of four- and five-star prospects — including linebacker Matthew Thomas of Miami-Booker T. Washington, the sixth-ranked player nationally according to ESPN.
If the Seminoles can secure at least half of the big-time names remaining on their board, their final ranking could receive a huge jolt.
Just from Ramsey’s announcement, FSU leaped from No. 28 to No. 16 on Scout.com’s board Tuesday.
“This is huge for Florida State because there hasn’t been a lot of momentum with the coaching changes and I think more than likely they will get even more good news (Wednesday),” Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell told Warchant.com. “So this is a game changer for this class.”
But those coaching changes played a huge role in landing Ramsey. The Seminoles weren’t likely to be selected by Ramsey until Jeremy Pruitt was hired as the new defensive coordinator. Pruitt, who will coach the secondary, developed a relationship with Ramsey and his family while he was working for Alabama. Sal Sunseri also helped reel in Ramsey. Sunseri, the Seminoles’ new defensive ends coach, was recruiting Ramsey while at Tennessee.
Ramsey then started to back off his USC commitment and look closer at FSU and Florida — which reportedly were the final two schools he was considering.
Ramsey, from Nashville, Tenn., is rated by Rivals as the 10th-best prospect overall and the third-best cornerback. Scout has Ramsey as the No. 2 cornerback. He had 38 tackles and three interceptions last season for Brentwood Academy. Ramsey also played receiver in high school, finishing with 614 yards and eight touchdowns his senior year.
The loss of junior cornerback Xavier Rhodes to the NFL opens a spot for the 6-foot, 190-pound Ramsey to join the rotation. Ramsey, who has long arms, is athletic and able to cover bigger receivers. He joins four-star corner Marquez White of Dothan, Ala., giving FSU two solid cornerbacks in this class.
Fisher now is counting on a large haul Wednesday to build on Tuesday’s momentum. Florida State has a chance to land several impact players, including Thomas and his teammate, four-star offensive lineman Denver Kirkland, along with four-star defensive tackle Keith Bryant of Atlantic High School, four-star receiver Stacy Coley, three-star offensive lineman Wilson Bell and three-star running back Augustus Edwards.
The Seminoles are at or near the top of the list for each. The Seminoles are on the outside looking in for five other players they had recently targeted: offensive lineman Austin Golson, who flipped his commitment from FSU to Mississippi, defensive end Tashawn Bower, offensive lineman Donovan Munger, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and receiver Jordan Cunningham.
About the Author
