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Defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2019, spent Saturday at FAMU Saturday, the HBCU less than a mile from FSU’s campus.
He essentially took a day trip to FAMU, flying into Tallahassee on Friday night to attend FSU’s “Saturday Night Lights” camp.
I’m loving #FAMU i might have to rebook my flight and stay a couple more days
— kayvon thibodeaux (@kayvonT8) July 28, 2018
I had an unbelievable time at #FAMU , special thanks to the Admins, SBI, student-body, & Football staff and especially @HCWillieSimmons for inviting me down. #MoreThanAnAthlete #HBCU pic.twitter.com/10yq3Gf7tt
— kayvon thibodeaux (@kayvonT8) July 29, 2018
Florida State and FAMU have a unique recruiting relationship. Given that the two schools lie just minutes hours apart, Florida State recruiters since the Bobby Bowden days have made it known to kids how close the two schools are, via Gridiron Now:
The relationship that FAMU athletics has played in helping grow FSU athletics has been traditionally one-sided. Ask any Doak Boy and he will tell you that he has spent some time “across the tracks.” It’s been one of FSU’s de facto recruiting tools probably since Bowden was at the school, which is about the time that African-American players started coming to FSU in droves.
Tallahassee’s Southside, where FAMU is essentially located, is basically where a majority of the people who look like the players live in Tallahassee. It’s always been, “look we have diversity in the city, just come over here!”
“They treat us like our family when we got there,” 2019 QB Jayden Daniels told Tomahawk Nation in April of FSU. “They took us around to see different areas of Tallahassee and campus. We saw FAMU.”
Some may assume Thibodeaux isn’t considering FAMU very seriously, with offers like from FSU, Alabama, USC, LSU, Florida, and several others on the table. But at the end of the day, this is great exposure for an FCS school, and it sounds like Thibodeaux had a great time:
We literally have been laughing and having fun all day
— kayvon thibodeaux (@kayvonT8) July 28, 2018
Every student athlete needs to visit a HBCU. #FAMU
— kayvon thibodeaux (@kayvonT8) July 28, 2018
“He is a really unique kid and very conscious of social issues,” SB Nation Recruiting’s Bud Elliott said of Thibodeaux. “I can’t discount that he legitimately considers FAMU. He spent much of the day there. Even if he doesn’t sign there, it gives FAMU publicity it can’t buy.”
Regardless of where Thibodeaux ends up, this is pretty cool.