As the holidays approach Florida State's coaches, much like most of us, are taking a mini-vacation which coincides with the dead period in recruiting (when coaches aren't permitted to contact recruits). We wanted to take this time to take a look at the recruits that we feel are most likely to join the 2011 recruiting class for the Seminoles. Due to attrition and openings from graduation, players turning pro, etc there is a chance that Florida State could sign up to 28 players in this class, with the ability to count early enrollees back a class. As we have talked about the Seminoles coaches are doing a great job of getting players to enroll early which offers roster flexibility and also gives the players an extra Spring to work in the weight room and learn the playbook. 

It is clear that the 'Noles are building a recruiting monster with the 2011 class. They have 11! ESPNU 150 players committed currently. Once it was thought to be out of the realm of possibility to sign double digits, now it seems close to 1/10 of the best players in the country will play their college ball in Tallahassee. FSU is simply in it with better players more often than it has been in some time. They have an astounding 9 players that plan to enroll early in this recruiting cycle. It is clear that Jimbo Fisher's regime understands the rules of engagement and are ready to take advantage of them. These players are:

• OL Jacob Fahrenkrug (JUCO)
• OL Sterling Lovelady
• DE "Tank" Carradine (JUCO)
• DE Aaron Lynch
• LB Terrance Smith
• CB Nick Waisome
• OL Trey Pettis
• OL Jordan Prestwood
• RB Devonta Freeman

Inside we will take a look at the most likely players that Florida State could close with.

Continue reading this post »

Florida State landed its first defensive end commitment of the 2011 class as Giorgio Newberry opted for the Seminoles Sunday night.  Newberry is a very talented Strongside Defensive End from Fort Pierce Central down on the Treasure Coast.  He is ranked as the 73rd overall player in the country, the 13th-ranked defensive end, and is rated as a 4* in the ESPNU 150.  Florida State is always looking to get size on the edge and Newberry gives Florida State another big, athletic edge player.   Newberry had visited Tallahassee multiple times including over the summer for the Jimbo Fisher Football Camp..  From the 2011 Recruiting Board:

"The first thing that you notice about Newberry is that he is big, really big. Going into his senior year at 6'6'' 257 shows a player who is very physically mature and close to defensive end playing weight right away. Coach Fisher has made it known that he wants big defensive ends and this is just another sign that is the case. He also shows above average upper body strength. Part of this is that at the high school level not many players have his size, but he appears to possess plus strength in the upper body. One of Newberry's biggest assets is that he plays well within his defensive scheme. In the video he is asked to do a number of things. To drop into zone, rush the qb, and string the run and he shows exceptional recognition. While this is only highlights, it is very promising that he is recognizing screens, playing different line techniques, and is capable of understanding what the goal of the play is.

He has offers from Notre Dame and Duke, so not only should qualifying not be an issue but it also reinforces the fact that his ability to recognize is real.  Newberry does have the problem that he stands up at the line and doesn't always play with good leverage, which is a very common problem at the high school level and is coachable.  Right now he is relying on his strength and natural ability, not his technique.  Players who have no business blocking Newberry are able to keep him engaged for a short time before he eschews them and pursues the play. He doesn't seem to have a phenomenal first step (or get off) to circumvent this problem so he will need to take in the coaching to fix this hole in his game. However, Newberry does do a great job of staying with the play. Great job of using his arms to separate, though he needs to do it more consistently. If he is blocked he gets his hands up, as the play moves near or away from him he finds the ball and moves off of his block to get after it. He has a good motor. Also Newberry shows above average speed for his size when tracking down the ball. It looks like he isn't exceptionally flexible and needs to work on lateral movement, however, he has shown much better lateral movement in camps this spring. Overall, Giorgio Newberry is a player who has a high ceiling due to his size/speed/strength and also the fact that he plays within his scheme and with a high motor. FSU likes him and he has already visited.

I also did an evaluation of Newberry in the Spring that I hope you will enjoy.

Despite taking a class of 9-11 linemen (positions that are not rated well by services and thus given poor ratings on average), Florida State is well on its way to having an excellent class.  

Film inside on Newberry.

Continue reading this post »

Via Seminoles.com Press Release:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The second day of Florida State's preseason camp marked the first time the Seminoles practiced with a national ranking under first-year coach Jimbo Fisher. Fresh off picking up a No. 20 ranking in the USA Today/Coaches preseason poll, the Seminoles worked out for just over two hours Friday.

Florida State's touted recruiting class continued to impress in just the second day of work in shorts and helmets. Fisher, who has pushed the importance of mentoring within the team, was quick to point out the role the veterans have played in their early development of the youngsters.

"Our older guys are doing a good job," said Fisher, explaining the role they've taken on with the newcomers. "You see them in there coaching them and pushing them. I've been pleased with that aspect of our team, trying to help those young guys."

In the grand scheme, the quicker the younger players get a grasp on the systems, the greater an impact they can have on the field; not only adding depth but also challenging for significant playing time. It's a role the older players don't take lightly.

Junior strong safety Terrance Parks, who is a leading candidate to start after two years in a limited role, likes what he sees when he looks around at the entire time.

"The veterans are making improvements," said Parks. "We know the playbook and we're helping the young guys. Right now that's essential for our program, to help the young guys come along so we can be the best team."

Count redshirt sophomore quarterback EJ Manuel among the many Seminoles who have been especially impressed by the quartet of incoming receivers, which includes Jarred Haggins, Greg Dent, Christian Green and Kenny Shaw.

"All four of those guys can go," said Manuel. "Every one of them is different. Jimbo was raving over them, actually. We had them in 7-on-7 when they first got here and they've done a great job. They listen. They don't have a lot of egos. They're great kids and they have a lot of personality, too."

Manuel gives much of the credit for the group's development to veteran receivers Bert Reed, Taiwan Easterling andJarmon Fortson.

"Those guys kind of showed them the ropes and they took off," he said.

Nigel Bradham, the 2009 team leader in tackles for the weakside linebacker position, also had high praise for the newcomers in his segment. They have stood out, despite the fact that linebackers coach Greg Hudson is busy cross-training the entire group to play multiple positions.

"There are a lot of great young linebackers and they are going to get a lot of playing time," said Bradham, who mentioned Christian Jones, Jeff Luc and Telvin Smith by name. "Jones and Luc, they are like a different breed. They are pretty stout, I feel like they will be ready." Still, there's always room for improvement, which Fisher pointed out at the end of Day 2.

"The effort was good," said Fisher. "We got sloppy at the end when we got tired and made mental mistakes, which you can't push through. But that's the second day of practice and that's what we've got to work out."

Fisher on the `Noles checking in at No. 20:

"They [the players] shouldn't look at it. It doesn't mean anything. It's just like expectations. Expectations don't win games and don't lose games. It's a matter of going out, getting fundamentally sound and doing what you've got to do."

Noteworthy:

 

 

Play-making junior college transfer cornerback Michael Harris was added to the roster and participated in his first practice Friday. Harris' addition brings the camp roster total to 104...Redshirt sophomore safety Ed Impeokparia also made his practice debut... Former FSU center David Castillo, a third-year medical school student, stopped by to visit practice...Also dropping by was Jesse Forbes, who starred at wide receiver and in track sprinter for the Seminoles and is a highly-successful coach at Tallahassee Godby High...After practicing in comfortable conditions Friday the Seminoles are scheduled for a 3 p.m. workout Saturday. It will also mark the next step in the mandated acclimatization period as the Seminoles put on shoulder pads and helmets (shells)...Fan Day is set for Sunday at the Donald L. Tucker Center with the doors opening at 11 a.m. The entire FSU team and coaching staff will sign autographs from 12 noon to 2 p.m. It will be followed by a practice inside Doak Campbell Stadium, which will be open to the public and begin at 4:30 p.m. A single concession stand will be open on each concourse level and selling drinks. Admission to Fan Day and the practice is free, as is parking at both events...FSU coach Jimbo Fisher and two-time All-American cornerback Terrell Buckley's summer victory in the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament will be televised Saturday, Aug. 7 in a one-hour special beginning at 12 noon on ESPN2. The Fisher/Buckley tandem teamed to beat back a field of ACC and SEC coaches and their partners, good for a $120,000 contribution to FSU's general scholarship fund.

With some of our readers asking for more film evaluation in this year's recruiting coverage, and my giant need to be accepted, I started a new line of articles titled "Target Evaluations", in which I evaluate some of the Seminoles top prospect targets for the 2011 recruiting cycle. This is a stark contrast to the objective story that MattDNole wrote yesterday, as it is entirely subjective. The series started with a personal favorite, Giorgio Newberry.

The second installment of the series will continue this week with LB target Tony Steward from Menendez High School in  St. Augustine, FL. FSU is in line to take 2-3 LBs this cycle, because they lose Kendall Smith who is a senior, and many believe that there is a high probability Nigel Bradham makes the jump to the NFL. The Noles already have one current LB committed in likely 4* Terrance Smith out of Georgia. While Smith is an excellent player, he is considered an outside LB prospect and needs to add bulk. Florida State, in its quest to become a team that meets the size/speed ratio needed to play bigtime football also needs to recruit big players from the front 7.  Tony Steward is believed to be the top LB on the board for FSU, and is the prototype LB that coach Hudson talks about when he says at FSU "you dont have to give anything away, with the guys you recruit."

Ht: 6'2''

Wt: 225

Projected Position: Mike LB

I want to get a few things out of the way first. I try to be as honest as possible with my evaluations as possible, and always like to include players weaknesses. I wrote extensively about Luc's struggles in agility drills when i watched him last year, however this is going to be one of the most positive I ever write. The other is that our watch list didn't do Steward justice because, well, I hadn't seen enough of him.

Steward to many is known as a Jeff Luc type player because of his size, and my comments will mirror that of Newberry in this regard. He is already physically mature and has a frame that can play big and fast at the next level. It is almost like Jimbo has changed the type of player he is recruiting to be larger on average or something. However, I think the similarities between Luc and Steward are limited, outside the fact that they are both excellent linebackers. Luc is a Mike, Steward projects at Mike but can play all three linebacker spots with ease. When watching Tony the first thing that pops out to me is that he seems to understand gap responsibility. He is not the type of player who attacks the ball with reckless abandon, or overruns plays because he is a "playmaker." He plays his position, and I really love that about him.  He takes great angles.  Tremendous at not getting blocked.  That is a skill.

When it comes to the point of attack, once he has sniffed out the play, he is extremely physical (which leads to much of the Luc comparisons I am sure). He is a sure tackler and he blows up oncoming blockers as well. However, we have to understand that at the High School level he is playing much bigger and faster (more momentum) than everybody else on the field pretty much. Some of that is marginalized at the next level. His tackling ability is well above average though.

The thing that sets Steward apart for me though is his effort when he is in coverage. He bends low to high extremely well, almost like a safety. Plays low with a good center of gravity and diagnoses. He has, for his size, an excellent backpedal and excels already as a coverage LB which can be a problem for some large LBs. He displays great speed given his competition level. Also, he shifts left to right much better than most linebackers his size who are stiff. However, the speed often makes up for taking bad angles or tackling routes (but his routes are great). His athleticism (which is elite) makes up for the fact that he occasionally runs around areas and shoots too deep when going after the ball holder. This takes teaching at the next level.It is rare that a HS coach will coach something like this as long as the player is within their system. I also have a friend in St. Augustine that I trust and he says Steward is streaky within games, which elite players usually aren't.

Steward displays above average strength, speed, athleticism, diagnostic ability, and tackling. He is also considered above average as far as size goes. I believe that he is the top linebacker in the country, and if I redid the watch list he would be top 5 in the state no doubt. He has an absolute elite offer list, numbering almost every ACC and SEC school. While he has traveled to FSU a few times he is still open to multiple schools, including FSU, UF, Bama, and Clemson.

The first installment of a series that our recruiting coverage will feature throughout this year is to write evaluations on FSU's targets this cycle. We at TomahawkNation always try to give honest evaluations when a player commits, however I was told by some of our readers that they would like to see more evaluations to get to know the players FSU is recruiting throughout the process. The first player we will take a look at is Fort Pierce Central's Giorgio Newberry.

Newberry is considered one of the premier players in the state of Florida and likely a 4* player on all of the big recruiting websites, we have had him in our top 40 players in FL to watch for 2011 for over a year. He plays both strongside defensive end and offensive tackle for his team, shining at both. However, it is our opinion (and most people's quite honestly) that his college future is on the defensive side of the ball.  Florida State is in need of defensive ends this year, and Giorgio Newberry is high on the wish list for the Seminoles. Newberry claims offers from many great programs including Florida State, Florida, LSU, Clemson, Notre Dame, North Carolina, South Carolina and more.

Vitals

Ht: 6'6''

Wt: 257

40: 4.7

Evaluation:

The first thing that you notice about Newberry is that he is big, really big. Going into his senior year at 6'6'' 257 shows a player who is very physically mature and close to defensive end playing weight right away. Coach Fisher has made it known that he wants big defensive ends and this is just another sign that is the case. He also shows above average upper body strength. When he is playing offensive line he is capable of dominating and when he plays defensive line he is able to toss players aside. Part of this is that at the high school level not many players have his size, but he appears to possess plus strength in the upper body.

One of Newberry's biggest assets is that he plays well within his defensive scheme. In the video he is asked to do a number of things. To drop into zone, rush the qb, and string the run and he shows exceptional recognition. While this is only highlights, it is very promising that he is recognizing screens, playing different line techniques, and is capable of understanding what the goal of the play is. He has offers from Notre Dame and Duke, so not only should qualifying not be an issue but it also reinforces the fact that his ability to recognize is real. Newberry does have the problem that he stands up at the line and doesn't play with good leverage, which is a very common problem at the high school level and is coachable but he seems to rely on his strength. Players who have no business blocking Newberry are able to keep him engaged for a short time before he eschews them and persues the play. He doesn't seem to have a phenomenal first step (or get off) to circumvent this problem so he will need to take in the coaching to fix this hole in his game. However, Newberry does do a great job of staying with the play. If he is blocked he gets his hands up, as the play moves near or away from him he finds the ball and moves off of his block to get after it. He has a good motor.

Also Newberry shows above average speed for his size when tracking down the ball. To me, it looks like he isn't exceptionally flexible and needs to work on lateral movement, however, he has shown much better lateral movement in camps this spring. Overall, Giorgio Newberry is a player who has a very high ceiling due to his size/speed/strength and also the fact that he plays within his scheme and with a high motor. He has holes in his game, but almost every high school player does, and he needs to continue to take in coaching and work. He is a 4* type player and one that the Seminoles are persuing, having had him on campus already.  

On Wednesday we ran an article asking our readership to join us in predicting the 2010 season far too early.  The purpose of this exercise was to gauge the post-Spring feelings of the fan base.  Fans love to talk and predict in the off-season, and it showed. More than 440 readers responded to the survey, a substantial number considering it is only April.

So, how did our readership predict FSU to do against this schedule? Well the average prediction according to our proportional win shares method is 8-4.

The actual average according to the readers and authors was 8.36 wins as you can see, which can be rounded to 8-4. This would be a very good season for Florida State after going 6-6 3 of the last 4 years, changing defensive schemes, and facing a very tough schedule. Also interesting is that the median is slightly lower than the mean at 8.25. This means that there are more points below the average (more voters were below the average than above) however there were some very optimistic voters who pulled the average up.

How about the ACC Schedule?  The voters forecasted the 'Noles will do very well, predicting 5.75 ACC wins, which we'll round to 6-2 in conference play.

As you can see, again the data is skewed right with the mean being a higher number than the median. Perhaps we have more people who are below average pessimists, but the optimists sure make up for it, I'd say.  Actually, Bud Elliot's numbers resemble the averages of the group almost identically at 8.325 total and 5.825 ACC wins. I think it is safe to say he fears OU and UF more than the group as a whole, when looking at the ACC numbers.

Here are the line graphs of the votes as they came in. As we can see the votes bounce around somewhat, but on the whole it contains less variance than I expected. To me this means that most of the people who responded to the survey took it seriously.

Here are the two charts showing every forecast:

(click to enlarge)

I'd like to thank everyone who voted and took the process seriously.  TomahawkNation attempts to talk about having reasonable expectations, and we couldn't have expected over 400 respondents who put thought into it in April.  After the jump I am going to delve into the numbers a little more.

Continue reading this post »

Back in May of last year Bud wrote about how professional gamblers assign probabilities to each game to go about predicting the season. This is an exercise we like to run to manage expectations and show how difficult it truly is to win 10 games or more in college football, especially if a team is not favored in all of its games.

It just so happens I have a friend of mine who is a professional gambler.  He has a day job, but he makes his living betting sports like a day trader plays the stock market, complete with a healthy dose of arbitrage.  Every year since my freshman year of college, we've gotten together and broken down the upcoming season, and we have a method.  We call it "proportional win shares".  You can call it whatever you want, but I think you'll see how it's more effective than simply assigning "win" or "loss" to the games. 

The idea is simple:  assign a winning % to each game.  For instance, you could say that FSU has an 80% chance of beating Maryland (0.80), or that they have a 20% chance to beat UF (0.20).

 Now, I think it is fair to say that many around here know the drill, but Tomahawk Nation has grown drastically since last year and we want to give everyone a shot. We will conduct this exercise 3 or 4 times before the opening kickoff, so don't think you are too tied to the numbers. We just want to get a feel for how everyone is approaching the season thus far.  It should be very interesting to track the changes in the optimism (or pessimism) for the team and to determine whether any change in prediction is tied to a specific event.  This is your chance to show us how good or bad you think Florida State will be!

Props to editor Ricobert1 for creating this great survey (now closed, thanks to those who voted!), where you can select the chance FSU will win in each game and it will automatically fill in your proportional win shares!  So read the article on proportional win shares, then take the survey!  We'll unveil the results Friday!  

Vitals:

Ht: 6'3" or 6'4''  | Wt: 210-215 (he runs track so it fluctuates) |  40: 4.6

Terrance Smith, who plays OLB and DE for Southwest Dekalb High School in Georgia has let the world know that he intends to sign with Florida State when the recruiting process is over.

Smith broke the news via his facebook page, he has officially decided to commit to Florida State today.

Terrance Smith: Man Ima Seminole... FSU here we come

Terrance is an extremely gifted athlete as you can see from his video, while he plays both DE and OLB for his team, he projects as LB on the next level. He plays extremely quick, tackles well, takes good angles to the ball, and seems like the type of player who can fit in at either OLB spot depending on growth.  For the most part, Dekalb just sends him off the edge to create havoc, so he is somewhat raw.  But that is why FSU pays Greg Hudson a lot of money, and Hudson has to be thrilled to have an athlete of Smith's caliber in his linebacker corps.  He is in no way stiff, he moves his 6'4'' frame very well. While this is only an opinion, I think he is the best player committed to the Seminoles at this time for 2011. He is definitely on par with Tyler Hunter, Cortez Davis, and Derrick Mitchell at least.

He is still fairly thin for his frame, he will need to add strength and bulk to fulfill his frame potential, however, he is going into his senior year of high school and has plenty of time to do so.  210 for a high school junior linebacker who runs track is not small.  This player's potential is through the roof. The Seminoles are lucky to have Smith committed as the 11th player in the class. He will likely be a 4** when the recruiting rankings come out, and is probably one of the top 20 or 25 players in the state of Georgia. Having already pulled Tyler Hunter from the state, as well as Greg Reid, Telvin Smith, Gerald Demps, and others,  FSU has shown its ability to go into Georgia and pull top tier players away from UGA and GT.

He joins Nile Lawrence-Stample, Keelin Smith, Lamarcus Brutus, Trey Pettis, Karlos Williams, Cortez Davis, Sterling Lovelady, Eric Beverly, Tyler Hunter and Derrick Mitchell in the next recruiting class for FSU.

Terrance Smith #24 - Senior Highlights (via DonovanJarvis)

This is a list of players that TomahawkNation's recruiting team has been keeping an eye, and ear out for over the past season. Many of these players, although only going into their Senior season are already household names. Try not to get too caught up in the actual rankings as we haven't seen film of every single player in the state, and sometimes have to go off of other people's scouting reports and high school coach's opinions (local coaches are notoriously biased). Many names between now and the season will pop up in the camp circuit, and there are always players who blow up their senior season ala Greg Dent. So here is our early watch list for the best players in the state of Florida for next recruiting cycle.

The Top 30 for FL would be a normal state's Top 10, that's how loaded the state is this cycle. In my opinion, there is not a ton of separation between the top 15 or so kids in skill and potential, so keep that in mind.

1.      Tim Jernigan- DT; Lake City (Columbia) 6'2'' 270

2.      Mike Bellamy- RB; Punta Gorda (Charlotte) 5'10'' 180

3.      Teddy Bridgewater-ATH; Miami (Northwestern) 6'3'' 175

4.      James Wilder Jr.-LB/RB; Tampa (Plant) 6'2'' 225

5.      Daunte Saunders-ATH; Deland (Deland) 5'11 170

6.      Kelvin Benjamin- WR/TE; Glades City (Glades Central) 6'6'' 215

7.      Denzel Perryman- LB; Miami (Coral Gables) 6'0'' 210

8.      Ha'sean Clinton-Dix-S; Orlando (Dr. Phillips) 6'2 205

9.      Buck Allen-RB; Tallahassee (Lincoln) 6'1'' 210

10.  Nick Oleary-TE; Palm Beach (Dwyer) 6'3'' 220

11.  Javares McRoy- WR; Lakeland (Lakeland) 5'9'' 165

12.  Marlin Lane-RB; Daytona Beach (Mainland) 6'0'' 200

13.  Sammy Watkins-WR; Ft. Myers (S. Ft Myers) 6'1'' 180

14.  Curt Maggitt-DE; Palm Beach (Dwyer) 6'3'' 210

15.  Tyler Moore- OL; Clearwater (Countryside) 6'5'' 280

16.  Nick Waisome-CB; Groveland (South Lake) 5'10'' 165

17.  Chavelle Buie-RB; Cocoa (Cocoa) 5'9'' 160

18.  Arrington Jenkins- LB/DE; Miami (Killian) 6'2'' 216

19.  Serderius Bryant-LB; Sanford (Seminole) 5'10'' 200

20.  Karlos Williams- ATH; Lakeland (Ridge Community)

21.  Marcus Jackson-OL; Vero Beach (Vero) 6'4'' 290

22.  Tacoi Sumler-ATH; Miami (Gulliver Prep) 5'9'' 170

23.  Andre Davis-WR; Tampa (Jefferson) 6'1'' 180

24.  Cortez Davis-S; Daytona Beach (Mainland) 6'5'' 190

25.  Miles Pace- LB; Miami (Central) 6'1'' 235

26.  Trey Pettis OL; Deland (Deland) 6'5'' 280

27.  Kevin Grooms-ATH; South Broward 5'10'' 160

28.  Wayne Lyons-S; Ft. Lauderdale (Dilliard) 5'11'' 180

29.  Deion Lee-DE; Ft. Walton (Walton) 6'4'' 230

30.  Brandon Fulse-TE/DE; Fort Meade (Ft. Meade) 6'5'' 250 

31. Giorgio Newberry- DE; Fort Pierce (Central) 6'5'' 257

32. Jeremy Cash- S; Plantation (Plantation) 6'2'' 185

33. Demetrius "Dee" Hart- CB/RB; Orlando (Dr. Phillips) 5'8'' 183

34. A.C. Leonard- ATH; Jacksonville (Ribault) 6'2'' 232

35. Keelin Smith- CB; Fort Pierce (Treasure Coast) 6'3'' 185

36. Derrick Mitchell- DT; Jacksonville (First Coast) 6'5'' 285

37. Bobby Hart- OL; Ft. Lauderdale (STA) 6'4'' 285

38. Eric Beverly- RB; Jacksonville (First Coast) 5'11'' 205

39. Jerrard Randall- QB/ATH; Hollywood (Chaminade) 6'2'' 189

40. Calvin Pryor- ATH; Port St. Joe (Port St. Joe) 6'1'' 190

Also considered (No Order)  just because they didn't make it doesnt mean they couldnt easily be one of the top 40, lots of camps and games to go for evaluation: OL Errin Joe, QB Jacoby Brissett, S Jermaine Reve, OLB Ryan Shazier, CB Quayshun Smith, WR Charles Gaines Jr, QB Jeff Driskel, DB Lamarcus Brutus, DB Robenson Therezie, DE Bryant Dubose, RB Jerron Seymour, LB Ken Hankerson, S Jabari Gorman,  QB Rakeem Cato, OL Shaman Richardson, QB Mike Blakely, WR Rashad Greene, DE Anthony Chickillo,  LB Tony Steward, WR JaJuan Story

All of these kids, even the ones who are honorable mentions have a shot to be at least 4* players with an impressive 11 months. Some will be, some will not. Also, there should be more OL on this list.  The reasons there are not are

1. OL are very hard to evaluate when young so allowing further development is important
2. Florida produces more athletes than it does lineman
3. There is barely ever "buzz" around OL except a few.

Luke Stampini of SoFlaFootball.com broke the story. 

Demar Dorsey de-committed from Florida today and committed to FSU.  The de-commitment is something I've been expecting for several months.  UF recruits are saying Dorsey decommitted as well as other sources in the thick of Dorsey's recruitment. Look for former Tennessee 'pals' Eddie Gran [current FSU RB coach] and Lane Kiffin to butt heads for Dorsey over the next 9 days. -- Stampini

Most of the FSU sites have been aware since late Friday night, and if Stampini had let this slip it might not have come out till signing day.  But the news is out so here is some info on the speedy safety prospect.  Boyd Anderson High School Defensive Back Demar Dorsey has made it know that he intends to switch his commitment from the Florida Gators to the Florida State Seminoles. This is yet another feather in the hat for the Seminoles recruiting class. Keep in mind that despite going 6-6 in the regular season, FSU will reign in one of the top classes in the country, while filling positional and numerical needs.  Here at TN, we have expressed the opinion that the 2010 cycle is heavier on talent at defensive back and lighter on defensive line talent so there may be some need to continue to take more talented DBs even though we have depth issues at DL this year.  Re-stocking the defense is not a one year fix, and Jimbo Fisher knows that.  

HT: 6'1''
WT: 180
Speed: 4.25 40-yard Dash/ 10.44 100-Meter
Vertical:  40''
Rankings: ESPN 85 #2 overall safety, #12 overall/ Rivals 5.8 4*
Academics:  There has been some concern, but Demar says he will qualify and has apparently gained his ACT score.
Other offers:  UF, USC, Tennessee, Miami, Michigan, UNC.  Alabama showed serious interest.

Evaluation:

Dorsey is a terrific athlete. He will instantly become one of the most athletic kids on FSU's team when he steps on campus. He is a track star. When people talk about his speed it is real, as he is probably the fastest senior football player in the state of Florida this year. When he decides to tackle, he can really lay the wood, but there are definite technique problems there. Dorsey shows elite body fluidity in the lower half and gets to the point on the football field where he needs to be. Excellent acceleration, hips, ect.  He lacks the overall type of bulk and strength you would like to see but he has outstanding potential.  Dorsey is also inconsistent on the field, looking like a 5* recruit some games, but also completely disappearing other games. If he can put it together, this kid could be Reggie Nelson part two, his potential is that high.  The very definition of a boom or bust recruit.

ESPN Scouting Report ($)

Scout.com on his talent (Free):

As athletic as any player in the country with his combination of great size, frame, speed, and first step quickness. He's further ahead athletically than as a player. He can get caught turning the wrong way, has trouble getting off blocks, and is sloppy in his tackling form, but with the ball in his hands on returns and letting his instincts as an athlete takeover, he show’s that he’s special. Definition of an upside recruit.

Scott Kennedy (free)

More Scout (Free)

Recruitment:

Demar Dorsey has been a UF commitment throughout the process and just switched his intentions to FSU this week. Many have expressed that they think UF would not take him. I was actually told this point blank, that he had to look around. The reasons are plenty, he had grade concerns which now appear to be taken care of and may still have some off the field concerns. We at TN will not try to hide that fact. However, if and when he is qualified he is a kid who has huge potential.  UF evaluates better than almost every school in the country, especially in the defensive backfield (look at the guys they have had playing S for them) and they took Dorsey early (October 2008). He looked at a bunch of schools but settled in at FSU.

Film:

Not much here honestly for free, but he played in the Under Armour Game and was one of the best players on the field. I was there and his athleticism really was quite remarkable. These games are set up to make safeties look good, but it was obvious.

The TomahawkNation.com recruiting map has been updated to reflect the commitment.

Make sure to check the TomahawkNation.com Recruiting Board to stay current with all the 'Nole's current targets!

We expect that the comments will be crazy for the TRex story so continue the discussion here.

This is our 20th commitment

Keep to the TN rules for commenting please.

GO Noles

As the final installment of my Under Armour All-America Game recruiting coverage we have a gallery of photos taken fromthe sidelines of the game yesterday. I would like to thank user "anonymity" for photographing the game for us. He is a friend and a good photographer for someone who does it as a hobby; he also edited the photos and added our "watermark". Enjoy!

Future FSU LB Jeff Luc peers into the backfield.

Click on the Jump to see more

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As you know, I have been covering the Under Armour All-America Game practices, and now I am at Tropicana field for the game. It is being broadcast on ESPN at 11am. I will be bringing you a live blog of the game, focusing onthe prospects who may be considering FSU or are already committed to FSU. If you want to follow the Live blog you will have to refresh the page every once in a while. Also, this will serve as the live game thread for those of you who are able to watch the game.  Shaw committed to FSU, the story is the next one down.

[Edit: We have a photographer on the field and will bring you a full photo gallery sometime tonight or tomorrow. He is currently set up at Kenny Shaw's announcement site.]

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Because the first one was so extensive, and not a lot has changed with most of the guys FSU is involved with I have decided to make this shorter, and I don't want to push the exciting Matt Elam news off the front page so it is going to be as a fanpost. In today's notebook I will take a more in depth look at Jeff Luc as he was able to be a much more active participant, also I will look at a couple of our Rival's CBs Joshua Shaw and Cody Riggs. Finally I will talk about some overall great performers and I have some photos again.

Jeff Luc:

Something that I wrote about when Jeff Luc committed was that he has been evaluated as someone who was stiff. When he plays TE he looks more loose, but many question his flexibility. Count me as someone who is now concerned. During agility drills Luc was cutting off every corner and was unable to fly his hips over the cones in teh manner that was expected of him. He slides side to side very well, and once he is shooting in a direction he gets a full head of steam but he needs a good strength and conditioning coach to help him develop flexibility to become the player that many believe he can. In hitting drills it is fun to watch him though, he made every LB out there go directly backwards, including Christian Jones.

There is good that comes with this bad though. In the front 7 portion of today's practice Jeff Luc excelled. He was incredible at shedding blockers and finishing plays, dropping Michael Dyer easily on the very first play. On one particular play he threw an OL that had probably 30-35 Lbs on him away with his right arm then turned and tackled the RB in the A gap. He looked exceptional any time the other side was running the ball.

I question Luc's mental abilities on the football field as well. Not only did he look lost at times, he forgot snap counts on onside kicks, and verbally fought with coaches after he had missed an assignment that led to a 40 yd TD. Luc seems like he needs to grow up and realize he isn't the only great player on the field.

Florida's CBs:

I also got to see some of UF's players while I was down there. In particular Joshua Shaw and Cody Riggs. First, Joshua really impressed me a lot. He is a very large corner, but it doesn't hinder his flexibility in the least bit. He hasn't been asked to defend a lot of deep routes but he shows the ability to flip his hips and stay on the hip of receivers. He also is the most physical CB in the Under Armour game. He possesses elite athleticism to go with it. He is much better in man coverage than off-man right now and I expect that will continue to be the case as he needs technique coaching int he worst way. He can get away with using his strength right now, but when great route runners and practiced tecchnicians get out there with him he will need the coaching to stay at the elite level.

Cody Riggs doesn't impress me nearly as much. He is short (same height in cleats as LaMarcus Joyner) yet he doesn't possess the strength, physicality, or long arms that Joyner does. Riggs has great technique for his age, rarely having to be coached for something that he did wrong. However he just doesn't possess the vitals to stay with big, physical receivers at the next level. He makes good plays, but he doesn't finish, and doesn't have elite speed.

Notes from the rest:

Joyner: Struggled somewhat in the goalline portions of the day with Da'Rick Rogers able to beat him a couple of times, however Joyner stuck with larger receivers (including Rogers) all day and competed and won battles for balls that were in the air. The other thing is that he seems extremely receptive to coaching. Everytime he does something he goes and talks to his position coach. He cheated on an out and went for the pick but missed by an inch. I did like to see the confidence that he can get anything though.

Jones: Everything I said yesterday held true. He should receive his fifth star.

Lemonier: The fastest DL by far and it wasn't close. Think Dwight Freeney when he was at Syracuse. We all know that DL players need to have size, but when a kid has an elite skill like his pass rush they can get away with being a little lighter. He also possesses great upper body strength for his body. Scouts were raving about him in 1-on-1s and for good reason. He forced QB Blake Bell into an INT.

Shaw: He just gets open. He left one DB at the line of scrimmage today in the goalline session. Howevr he did struggle a couple times watching the ball into his hands and had drops. Regardless he was extremely impressive again.

Top Performers (Non-FSU)-

William Gholston was the best player on the White Team field today. He is a DE from Michigan who is going to Michigan State and he has every skill you can imagine for a great DE and he is 6'7'' with a great frame.

Da'Rick Rogers (WR, Georgia) gets my MVP trophy for the first two days (Joyner would probably be second), he shows blue chip skills in every regard. He is huge, has great hands, and runs good routes. One time though he was running a fade to the sideline and Joyner was on him. They both went up for the ball and Joyner knocked it away as Nick Dew (S, Virginia Tech) cleaned the play up. Joyner got up and said "AND YOU PUSHED OFF."

I'm glad Louis Nix decommitted from Miami to go to ND. The defensive tackle is an absolute bear to block with one man when he is focused, and he has been focused while he is down there.

OL James Hurst and OL JaWaun James have been the best Offensive linemen there, while Chaz Green continued to be hit and miss. Chaz Green was victim to Gholston on a number of plays today.

Q: There were obviously a lot of stars here today, what was it like out there for you?

A: It was good, just going against the best, it was good. I think I did good, I still gotta get better and work on some things though.

Q: You went to Hawaii recently, how did that go with the All-America Bowl?

A: Well the whole thing was real nice, the place was beautiful. Again playing against the Polynesian kids it was a real experience [how does it compare?] Polynesians they can play, they just don't have the size if most of them was 6'5'' you know or 6'7'' they would have easily won because they are really good.

Q: You're last visit was to LSU, how did that go?

A: It was really good, it went good. They showed me around the place, showed me the school, everything from a regular trip, they showed me the situation I would be in. So it was good.

Q: I know LSU, Auburn, and FSU have you taken all of your visits yet?

A: Yeah I'm done with that I'm finished with my visits. I'm going to make my decision in February, on signing day I will decide.

Q: Do you plan to take any unofficials before then?

A: I'm supposed to be going to FSU soon, and maybe Florida. I'm going to go to Miami too before then. I don't know if I will visit Auburn again, [do you know the date of your FSU visit] Umm no, I don't know yet.

Q: What are you looking for in a school when you make your decision?

A: Having a good experience, you know a ood college experience and making the best of my opportunity. Also going in and trying to work for playing time, and just having a good 4 or 3 years there. [Is Location an issue] Nah, my mom and dad already told me its not a situation so I never thought it was a situation with me.

Q: What are the schools still in the race for you at this point?

A: All the schools that have been really on me, but Tennessee, Auburn, Florida State, Miami, and probably thats it.

Q: What do you feel about FSU, Jimbo Fisher and what is going on there?

A: Its something new, so like just everyone has been liking it, a lot of committs have been going there so it seems like everyone is liking it there. [ As a follow up Coach Gran is now at FSU and was at UT] Yeah umm, sometime after I come back he is going to come with a few coaches from FSU to come to my house. He was my recruiter at Tennessee, yeah.

Q: Does Calvin Smith committing to UT hold any weight with you?

A: Its good, because if I do go there I will have somebody I can know and talk to, but I am not going to make my decision based on that.

Q: There are a couple guys who are committed to FSU on your team have they been talking to you at all?

A: Yeah, umm, like [Jeff] Luc has got my phone number, he has been talking to me a couple of times. We talk like Come to FSU, Come to FSU, its nothing serious like my roommate (Corey Miller) he is committed to Tennessee, and its all night. I'm talking like 12 at night to 4 in the morning, like Corey Miller, shut up.

At the Under Armour All-America Game Practices today I was able to hear from both LaMarcus Joyner and Christian Jones after the practices and before they went on to do the preliminary rounds of the skills competition. These are some of the notes I have from the interviews. They won't be fully transcribed from my voice recorder but will cover all of the major points that they spoke on. Earlier in the day I did a scouting notebook and photo gallery of all of the targets that FSU has at the game. They are all playing on the White team in the game on Saturday. In the morning there will be a fully transcribed interview with Corey Lemonier.

Click on the Jump to read what Joyner and Jones had to say on this day.

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[Photos added to the bottom of the story] Today is the first day of the Under Armour All-America game practices at Wide World of Sports in Orlando, FL. The practices will take place today, tomorrow, and Friday and will be broadcast on ESPNU. The game will be played on Saturday at 11 A.M. on ESPN. I will be providing coverage from the practices the next two days as well as the game, focusing on the 5 players that are connected to Florida State as a target or current commit. The first installment is my "scouting observations" from day one. Part two later today will include interviews with LaMarcus Joyner and Christian Jones. Part three will be a transcribed Q and A with Corey Lemonier tomorrow, and another scouting notebook tommorrow night after I drive back to Tallahassee.

LaMarcus Joyner:

The first thing you notice about Joyner are his freakish measurables. His arms hang extremely low, however he is still built throughout his entire upper half. While he is on the short side, in no way does it look like he doesn't belong on the same field as the other DBs. Joyner has been designated to play CB in this game which is exciting, because he has primarily played safety the past two years. I have been one to say that I thought he would end up at safety because of his raw hitting ability.

In agility drills Joyner showed his quick burst from his lower half and excellent hip fluidity. He looked like an elite prospect in these areas. Joyner struggled mightily to hold on to the ball the entire day. Many of the drills revolve around making breaks and then receiving the ball at the end. He was coached on how to catch the ball a few times, and he also muffed on kick when he was back working as a punt returner. However in each drill he completed them smoothly and quickly showing the type of body movements that make him an elite prospect.

In one on ones Joyner really showed what he could do. Regularly Joyner jammed and stayed with each receiver that he lined up with. The big thing that he does well is that anytime a receiver might have a step on him he is able to recover and transition. Any half step wrong and his athleticism puts him right back in position. Kadron Boone (Texas Tech) and Antonio Goodwin were blanketed in one on ones. The only time he was beat in one-on-ones was when Kenny Shaw made a beautiful cut to free himself. Again in the team portion Joyner looked great, even though he was only thrown at twice, neitehr was completed. Once he made the biggest WR there (Brandon Coleman) go up high for a ball and was able to knock it away as Rogers fell.

- Joyner came on during warmups doing the chop

- Chris Dunkley and his highly anticipated matchup didn't happen because Dunkley pulled up with a hamstring injury and was unable to compete the rest of the day.

Christian Jones:

My first thought when I saw Christian Jones up close was "wow that kid is huge", for a LB he is just incredibly impressive physically. There were two players on the White (Blur) team that everyone looked at and thought were ready to step onto a college field and play tomorrow. Christian Jones and Da'Rick Rogers. In agility drills he showed that he is capable of moving his great frame. I believe more than ever that he can play OLB and play it well after watching him go through drills.

However, Christian really shined in 7on 7s and the team portion of the practices. 5* RB Michael Dyer is a freight train going through the hole, however on one particular play CJ met him about 2 yeards off the line of scrimmage and quickly took him to the ground with a big hit. not 30 minutes earlier he was out in space playing the pass and was able to read the ball off the QBs hands and make a near interception. He was impressive all day. I expect that if he is able to perform like this the next two days he will have no problem moving into the 5* status on everyones board.

- CJ stated that he is 6'4'' 228 lbs the last time that he weighed. 

Jeff Luc:

Jeff was very hard to evaluate today. We've written about his physical presence before, and he is extremely impressive physically. In drills he didn't fly through them the way that Jones did. When they all lined up he was making calls, directing traffic and looked like a natural leader on defense. Luc is clearly a Mike LB, as he is very compact and his brute strenth from his arms allow him to wrap up and carry blockers and runners backwards.

In the one on one hitting drills he repeatedly knocked the other LBs backwards. However this is Lucs strength. In 7 on 7s and the team portion of practice he wasn't able to shine at all. Most of the plays were run away from him, he looked slightly apprehensive in pursuit and didn't have any really great hits. In coverage he was passable. Many knock his stiffness, and while he did show that he isn't a candidate to be matched up one on one with CJ Spiller any time soon, he can be good enough in pass coverage to make his strenths a plus for the team. I hope that tomorrow he is able to be more active, and that drills allow him to participate more.

Kenny Shaw:

Shaw was just added to the Under Armour All America game in the last week, as he was going through some injury problems to his groin. He's actually not in the media guide and many didn't know who he was at first. As far as his physical form, there is much to be desired we know that he is a lean, wiry kid. This is probably the reason that he came into the year as a 3* WR out of Dr. Phillips High School. He had a fantastic senior season and has shot up the rankings.

In the initial warm up drills Shaw looked extremely smooth, looking over each shoulder with similar ease and catching the ball with one or two hands without a problem. If there is a WR in the country who gets out if his initial break better than Shaw I'd like to see him. In 1 on 1s it was the kenny Shaw show. Every time he lined up, and I counted 6 times, he found himself open. He ran hitches, outs, posts, and go routes. Each time he was able to get open. The reason? This kid runs absolutely elite routes. He is smooth in and out of every break, uses his head to get CBs to lean, and has excellent feet to stop on a dime. By the end of drill there was a buzz with on lookers and some of the junior combine participants about how well he was playing. The biggest receipient of Shaw's moves was Georgia Tech commit Ryan Ayers who struggled all day.

-Kenny told me that he has a full clean bill of health for his groin and is back to 100%

- He also said that he is excited to end the process on January 2 at the game, and it has kind of become a "heart ache". I can tell he is ready to announce.  

Corey Lemonier:

I have to be honest the player I was most excited to see play this week is Corey Lemonier. Luc and Joyner are committed, Shaw and Jones seem to be heavy leans, but Lemonier's recruitment is still in the air. I was excited to see a top 5 player in the state at a position of need (Defensive End) play. In defensive line drills you could see that Corey is extremely competiitive, he blew past his fello DL who tried to block him at the end of the high knees, yet he worked hard to try and block him. Corey is a little small to play college right away. I don't mean short, he towers over me easily at 6'4'', but for a DE you notice that he was slight of build. He needs to add some weight as he is only about 230 lbs. That didn't stop him from putting on a great performance.

In the 1on1 drills with the OL it got very competitive and scrappy. Corey put on a show when he was matched up with Chaz Green of Tampa Catholic. Corey used his hands extremely well and was able to keep Chaz off of him getting to the QB the first time. The next time Lemonier dropped his right shoulder and did an outside speed rush. He was able to get under Chaz's pad level and turn upfield and get to the QB once again. In the team portion of the practice Lemonier was hit and miss. He was able to record a sack in one situation. However, it did become clear that he has some work to do when he isn't able to get up the field outside. He has a good arsenal of moves that need to be tweaked, and adding weight will allow guys like Ja'waun James from turning him inside with brute strength at the next level.

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With Bobby Bowden's retirement, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville Florida made a smart business decision by scooping up Florida State, so that it could sell out its tickets to Seminole fans in a record amount of time. The word had leaked about what they planned to do, and it worked Seminoles were ready to watch Bowden's last game which would be played against his former employer West Virginia University. FSU normally wouldn't have been qualified to play in such a bowl, after having a 6-6 season, but never the less this is where they landed.

So what can Florida State expect to see from WVU when they are on defense? Honestly, the first thing they can expect is a lot of WVU in the endzone, but we knew that because FSU had the 93rd ranked defense in the country this season. We are going to take a look at the players and schemes that make the WVU offense dynamic, and what to look for on January 1 as you root on the Seminoles.  

Quarterback:

West Virginia lost one of the most impressive college football players of the last decade last year, Pat White. White was the perfect QB for the WVU offense, and set records in theig East for yards and scoring. They replace him with a RS-Sr Jarrett Brown who is 6'4'' 223 and can move very well for his size. He is an inconsistent passer, but has a live arm when he does throw it. The QB is an intricate part of the offensive plan for WVU. In WVU's offense the QB is expected to be both a runner and a passer (which has given DC Mickey Andrews fits), and Jarrett Brown fits the billing. While he isn't Pat White, he is still a threat to run.

Runningback:

WVU has one of the most impressive RBs in the entire country. Famously recruited by FSU and mentored by Deion Sanders Noel Devine wasn't going to get into FSU and chose to go to WVU instead of Hargrave Prep and re-entering the recruiting process. The selection was a good one for him. While he is only 5'8'' 178, Noel is extremely muscular, quick, elusive, and he has excellent vision. He has gained 1297 yards on the ground with a 5.8 yd per carry average and 12 TDs this season, after seasons where he averaged 6.3 yds per running play and 8.6 as a freshman change of pace back.

Scheme:

WVU's offense has been one of the most productive units throughout the last 5 years. Rich Rodriguez brought his style of offense to town and new coach Bill Stewart hasn't changed what they do very much. West Virginia is predominantly a zone-read team. The zone-read concept has been discussed on this site before, as USF runs it a lot and Boston College used it to destroy our defense just a year ago, even though it isn't one of their base offensive concepts. Mickey Andrews defense has never been able to handle this concept.

In WVU's offense the QB is set in the shotgun with 1 RB. The fundamental idea of the zone reads are simple. The OL are in a zone blocking technique (where they are blocking in a "zone" rather than a 1-1 man technique), more about zone blocking is discussed in this excellent article. The quarterback has a "read" or if you like "option" to give the ball to the RB or keep the ball.  Theplay is designed to go frontside (or the direction that the OL is blocking) to the RB, however the backside DE is not blocked in this play. If that backside DE crashes down quickly to go after the RB the QB reads him and pulls the ball backside, keeping it for a run. Here is what the base zone read looks like:

Very similar, here is what it looks like when run as a counter:

The play designed to go to the frontside, however if the DE crashes it is a legitimate option for the QB to keep the ball, especially with a mobile QB like Brown. FSU's Defensive Ends notoriously play undisciplined football, which led to USF's freshamn QB B.J. Daniels continuing to pull the ball and run on the zone read plays. A couple notes to watch for are the difference between their version of Inside Zone and most inside zone schemes is they want their uncovered linemen to go straight to the 2^nd level, and watch the playside tackle, as his relationship with the defender is really important because he is almost always 1-on-1.

Click on the Jump to continue reading about other things FSU can expect from WVU's offense

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Since August, Florida State has been playing football games. The focus has been on the field for the most part, and with good reason; we all love to see the results of the Seminole's efforts. What will Bobby Bowden do? Who will be the new Defensive Coordinator with legend Mickey Andrew's departure? While these are very serious questions that capture the minds of Seminoles, they are also happening at the heart of the most important time for recruiting.

At TomahawkNation, we try to cover Florida State's recruiting efforts the best we can.  While we are proud of our recruiting staff, none of us do this as our fulltime job.  With that said, December and January are the most important recruiting months of the year. For the first time in years, the recruits will know exactly who the head coach will be for the next few years, and they also know that FSU is committed to winning no matter what. Hopefully, that knowledge will help Florida State "close" in the coming months. Bobby Bowden was known as a great closer, but in the last few years he didn't have the same effect. A new staff is extremely important for moving on. Most people think 3 classes is the gold standard of getting things turned around. 2008 and 2009 were very good, and the next two months will dictate if 2010 is in the same class.

Jimbo Fisher learned extensively under one of the masters of organization, Nick Saban. Nick Saban likes to control exactly what goes on in his program down to the most minute details. Recruiting is one of those areas that he personally oversees a great deal of. I expect that Jimbo Fisher will be much more involved with recruiting than Bobby Bowden has been. That starts with evaluation, an area where Jimbo excels.

December and January are like Saturday at the Masters, it is moving day. Just shooting par will probably not be enough, you've got to post a low number to make everyone else worry. Until December 16th, we are in what is referred to as a wide open contact period, in which coaches are allowed to make unlimited calls to prospects, visit high schools as much as they want, and do further evaluations.  Florida State is already trying to do that pulling two very talented players in Jeff Luc and Mike Harris. The deadline for early enrollees to send their paperwork in is December 18th, and FSU is recruiting a number of kids they would like to be EEs. National Signing Day is Feb 4th, and going down to that day without knowing exactly who will be in the class isn't something the coaches would like to do.

But there is another important date range as well known as the dead period, from December 16th to January 4th.  During that period, coaches can only call each prospect one time per week, by NCAA rule.  Other things that may not occur during the recruiting dead period include official visits, unofficial visits, evaluations, visits to high schools, or even speeches at banquets. Because the college coaches are so limited in what they can do, the NCAA does do them and their families a favor over the holiday season. It will also allow the college coaches to recharge their battery for a vital month of the recruiting process.

With Florida State in the running for some of the most talented players in the country including Christian Green, LaMarcus Joyner, Corey Lemonier, Christian Jones, and Terrence Mitchell the coaches should be out on the road as much as they can be. So far, they have been on the road a ton.  Some coaches are logging 20-hour days.  December and January's hard work can turn into February's big payoff.

As we've stated for weeks, FSU will not retain such coaches as Jody Allen, Chuck Amato, Dexter Carter, Mickey Andrews (retired), and Todd Stroud. This means a lot of turnover. Where will these coaches primarily recruit in the next two crucial months? *With this I will address where both of the two most likely DC would be best, there is some speculation on new coaches that do not include inside knowledge of new hires.

James Coley: South Florida, Tallahassee, East Coast south from Jacksonville

Eddie Gran: (RC) South Florida, SE states such as N GA, Tennessee, RBs (Some question as to whether he can recruit immediately or will have to wait until the departed Carter's contract runs out.  In any case, he will be able to recruit on January 5th, when the 2-week dead period ends).

Lawrence Dawsey: Tampa south to Naples, WRs, help in Jacksonville

Odell Haggins: Big Bend, East Coast North, Help in DL

Rick Trickett: Central Florida, NW Florida, all OL

Dameyune Craig: NW Florida, South Alabama and Mississippi

Sal Sunseri: Specializes in the southern East Coast such as the Carolinas

Kirby Smart: Specializes in N FL, and South Georgia

Jimbo Fisher: Will oversee recruiting, help any area, and focus on the elite recruits regardless of where they are.

Ht: 6’1’’
Wt: 241
40 Time: 4.6

Ratings: Rivals 4* LB #25 overall (former 5*), ESPNU 150 #6 overall

That’s right 'Nole fans, the Seminoles have officially landed one of the best players in the country, with the news that MLB Jeff Luc has become a Seminole. Jeff is an elite prospect, which is fueled even more so by the fact that he is so physically advanced for his age. He is ready to step into a program, be coached on the scheme, and run down hill so he can nail some ACC Running Backs. Oh, and hit he can. There isn’t a player in the country that can lower the boom like Jeff can. The recruiting persistence of James Coley was the driving force behind landing Luc, and it is an important commitment that both fills a need in Florida State’s class, and also raises the talent level on the defense.

Behind the jump we will talk about scouting of his strengths and weakness, his recruiting adventure, and add free video!

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via img.photobucket.com

VITALS:

Ht: 6'0''
Wt: 176
40 Time: 4.5
Rivals: 3* (should be 4* by end of year)
ESPN Grade: 77
Grades:  No known qualifying concerns
Other offers:  Miami, FIU, USF

More including everyone's favorite, Free Video!

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FSU @ Clemson 7:45

LSU-Bama is the big one of the day.

I'm not sure how much anyone around here follows recruiting, regardless it is the lifeblood of any college football program. On the SBNation Seminole site I do a lot of work writing about recruiting, as such I follow different players, especially in and around the state of Florida.

Arkansas currently has 14 committments, I wanted to talk about two more that eventually I feel will end up as Razorbacks. Traditionally Arkansas has recruited quite a bit in the Tallahassee area, Micheal Smith, Rudell Crim, Kareem Crowell, Lance Ray and Carlton Salters all hail from the area. Smith and Crim  both played at Rickards High School. Well Rickards has a pair of players this year who are both high on the Hogs, and I have been told will most likely end up there.

Camren Hudson- ATH: Camren plays three positions on the football field. As it stands now, he is a hybrid S/OLB and he also is the main ballcarrier for Rickards. He profiles better on the defensive side of the ball in college than he does on the offensive side. A lot will depend on his growth but he will end up as a SS or an Weakside (Will) OLB. He is a quick guy, who can move up and play the run but also can move laterally. He struggles to shed blocks consistently but a good strength program and coaching can change that.

Brandon Denmark-DE: Denmark is a tall (6'4'') thin (215) DE with good outside burst. He is skinny at this point but should have no problem putting on good weight when he gets to college. While I don't like him quite as much as Hudson, Arkansas needs DL in a bad way, and I think he can come in and compete and eventually be a pretty good player.

Everyone knows that current President of Florida State University, T.K. Wetherell has put in his letter of resignation but will continue to be the president until FSU has found his replacement. Many of the readers here at TomahawkNation are alums or students at the university as well as being fans of the football team. A new president will bring a different voice, and vision for Florida State as an academic institution and in athletics. This is a time of transition not only for our beloved football team but our university as well. 

T.K. Wetherell is one of the most controversial figures at Florida State, many who are fans of the football program can't stand his administration. He is too close with Bobby and the football program, where as an administrator he should hire a competent athletic director and let him handle the matters of sport. His relationship with Bobby has clouded the purposeful way that he should be running the university, and of course his cowboy "how the west was won" style of dealing with the NCAA rubs some  most people the wrong way. A university president should never handle himself in such a manner. More to the point, it effects how FSU athletics and academics are viewed from a national perspective. 

The uproar over President Wetherell only got louder last week, when he released what amounts to a non-statement about a position to move forward, yet not anytime soon and he would "evaluate the program after the season." He reassured us that Jimbo would be our next coach, and that he was going to work on a new contract for him. This slow pace of change and inability to deal with the problems surrounding FSU is indicative of T.K.'s entire administration on campus. It is not a non-statement to the recruits we lost, because everyone will use it to say that Bobby Bowden is indeed coming back next year. 

However, he has done some very good things for his alma-mater as well. As a politician in the Florida Legislature he visioned and found the appropriations for the university center and sky boxes. This addition enriches the campus and football experience at FSU, as well as raising money. Also he adopted the "Pathways to Excellence" initiative that is planned to bring in exciting research faculty in math and science and raise FSU's national rankings. The program is in its youth. That doesn't put to rest the fact that he was the chief administrator of the university during the "Nepotism Era" and has allowed Bobby free reign over FSU for far too long. Bobby knows that he has had him in his back pocket, and T.K.'s retirement is great news to anyone who wants to see Bobby gone, however he isn't leaving fast enough for it to make a difference unless something new should arise. 

The rest of this article will identify the search committee members, and their relation to FSU, outline which search committee members have a vested interest in athletics at FSU, detail some early candidates for the job, and search for consequences on our athletic program as a new regime takes over at the top. If any of you don't care about the search to find the new president, the criteria to judge them, or candidates skip to the bottom where the article talks about what we should want from a football standpoint, and what possible implications this will have. 

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