Michael Johnson, a defensive back recruit from Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington High school, has committed to Florida State, sources confirmed today. Johnson is unrated as of yet by any of the major services, which is unsurprising given that it is 11 months until next signing day.

Johnson stands 5'10" and weighs 170 pounds. He'll need to keep growing to play safety at the next level, but Johnson definitely has room to do so. Johnson's best attribute is probably his instincts. His highlight film is one clip after another of him making plays (see inside). Johnson doesn't appear to be an elite, but he certainly isn't a scrub, either. There's definitely space on the roster for a defensive back with excellent instincts and good tackling ability. He'll likely be rated as a high three-star recruit. It's also worth noting that if Johnson doesn't win a starting job, he could fill the role of a fifth defensive back.

Tomahawk Nation currently projects that Florida State will take at least five defensive backs in this class. The 'Noles currently have two in Johnson and cornerback Sojourn Shelton.

Johnson is also a teammate of stud linebacker recruit Matthew Thomas and offensive line recruit Denver Kirkland, both of whom are considering the 'Noles.

Here is a recap of Florida State's class:

OFFENSIVE LINE Austin Golson (Tackle)
DEFENSIVE LINE Maquedius Bain (Tackle)
DEFENSIVE LINE Deadrin Senat (Tackle)
DEFENSIVE BACK Sojourn Shelton (Cornerback)
DEFENSIVE BACK Michael Johnson (Corner/Safety)

(h/t: Noles 247)

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I think Florida State is playing the scheduling situation well. They got out of the WVU game without having to cancel it. They're going to get paid. They get to claim they went after top teams to replace WVU, thus getting to keep the "anyone, anywhere" image that worked pre-BCS, and they get to schedule a much more winnable game.

There is heavy smoke that Cameron Erving has asked to move to offensive line. Erving is already a good defensive tackle, and for FSU's coaches to allow this would show just how ridiculously deep the 'Noles are at defensive tackle. Erving does have more of an offensive lineman's build (6'5" and lanky at 300+). I am very interested to see how this turns out. Is the potential benefit to offense much bigger than the potential loss on defense? Absolutely. And remember, Erving is very young. He doesn't even turn 20 until late August! Let's see if the move happens and if it sticks. I'd say the important part to this smoke is that Erving asked to be moved, as opposed to the coaches telling him he would be moved.

FSU commit Menelik Watson trades in the hardwood for the gridiron - Luke Winn - SI.com
Awesome article

Boston College Football To Host Miami In 2012 Opener - BC Interruption
Acoording to a report in the Boston Globe: Boston College football will open the 2012 season at home against the Miami Hurricanes on Labor Day weekend. This is good for BC because Miami is breaking in a ton of new starters. It's bad because Miami doesn't have to play in the cold and the Hurricanes' depth won't be tested.

Vanderbilt coach elaborates on controversial comments on "de-commitments" … and the UGA recruit that flipped | AJC College Sports Recruiting
We asked some other coaches about Franklin’s initial comments about de-commitments being "not men of honor" and "not men of integrity." Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher: "No, I don’t buy that. They’re all young kids. They’ve all got to make tough decisions in a crucial time of their life. They may not have committed [initially] for the right reasons. [As a coach] you don’t say something like that. They are 18-year-old kids. They learn lessons as they go through the recruiting process. Recruiting can be tough and I think it’s different than it was years ago. The pressure, for instance, from social media, recruiting services, coaches … I think there’s a ton of more pressure on these kids now than there ever was before. They are 18-year olds. That’s the thing you have to remember. I would love to not have any kids de-commit. For the most part, we did this year except for one [DE Dante Fowler switched to Florida on signing day]. He’s an outstanding young man and will be a great player. That’s a choice he made, and he had to make it for his own reasons."

NCAA investigation update: Nevin Shapiro rants from prison; UM optimistic | Sports Buzz

### One UM official said he expects “one more bowl ban, maybe two at most” plus undetermined scholarship losses. But that’s speculative, because UM hasn’t been told anything on either issue. Some are hopeful of escaping further bowl bans after last year’s self-imposed one.

Miami is going to play with 80 scholarship players. They are at 90 or 91 now. That means they'll be cutting 10 guys between now and opening day. Expect them to tell the NCAA they're taking a penalty of five scholarships (85-80=5). Don't be surprised if they pass on a bowl game as well (not that they are likely to make one with the roster coming back and a daunting schedule). The playing at 80 will likely continue in 2013 and 14. The bowl ban/declining a bowl could also.

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With UNC beating Virginia, the Seminoles needed to knock off the hottest team in the ACC in order to remain tied atop the conference standings. And they did just that, using suffocating defense to defeat the Hurricanes 64-59 in a 65 possession game. FSU (17-7, 8-2) held Miami (15-8, 6-4) to 5-23 (22%) shooting from deep, and forced turnovers on 23% of their possessions. The 0.91 points they scored per possession is the 2nd fewest since the return of center Reggie Johnson 14 games ago. FSU fronted Johnson all game, even out beyond 15', and did a great job preventing him from ever touching the ball. He scored a season low 4 points. Point guard Shane Larkin had arguably the worst game of his career, scoring 5 points on 1-9 shooting. He had one assist and two turnovers.

The game was close in the final minutes because of missed FTs. FSU made 5-9 down the stretch, and missed the front end of a 1-and-1. But the defense was elite, forcing Miami to burn clock and put up contested shots.

FSU's offense was plagued by careless turnovers (24.6%, right about their season average) including 7 from Bernard James. Still, the Noles were able to take advantage of Reggie Johnson's immobility by pounding the ball in to James, as Johnson doesn't have the quickness to play in front of James. Bernard scored 18 points and added six boards and four blocks. Michael Snaer (12) and Ian Miller (11) were also in double figures, and Luke Loucks played an exceptional game on both ends of the floor. He finished with 7 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 0 turnovers.

FSU gets to stay home, where they're 5-0 in the ACC, to take on Virginia Tech on Thursday.

A hot shooting Boston College combined with a poorly focused Florida State ended FSU's longest ever ACC win streak at 7 games. Though FSU (16-7, 7-2) is still tied atop the conference standings. But now the competition gets stiffer. In come the Miami Hurricanes (15-7, 6-3) who are on a winning streak of their own. They've won 5-straight ACC games, a first, and appear on their way to their first ever winning ACC season.

The Canes are led by first year head coach Jim Larranaga. In my evaluation of his hiring, I finished with this statement:

Should Larranaga improve Miami to a top-50 defense they’ll be playing in the NCAA Tournament 11 months from now.

Miami didn't play defense under Frank Haith. Last season they were 99th. This year they're 65th. Which means, according to my prediction, they should be a bubble team. The reality? They're a bubble team.

The important thing to note is that Reggie Johnson - who rivals Tyler Zeller as the best center in the ACC - missed the first nine games due to offseason knee surgery. And DeQuan Jones missed the first ten due to an investigation into whether or not his family got paid during his recruitment. Both of those players are back, and both are key to Miami's continuing improvement on the defensive end. They have a decent chance to finish the season among the nation's top-50 defenses. If you limit their season to just conference games (after the players returned) then Miami is 4th, behind Virginia, Florida State and North Carolina. During Miami's 5-game winning streak the only team to score more than a point per possession against them is Duke (1.01), and the Blue Devils have the best offense in the conference.

In short, this defense presents a big challenge for Florida State.

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In preparation for tomorrow's huge game with Miami, we spoke with the guys over at Category 6, an excellent blog covering the Hurricanes. Check the links below this story to find more coverage of the game, including a film breakdown of Miami's offense, and of course our answers to their questions. As always, the preview and game thread will come two hours before tip.

Coach Larranaga has done an excellent job this season. Miami has been shorthanded for a good part of the year due to injuries/suspensions, etc. Other then the NC State game, the 'Canes has played with great effort in every contest. Coach L often says something to the bench that draws big laughs, but also appears to know when to be firm. Turnovers are down this year, execution on both ends is improved (impressive considering a new system) and the team seems to come out of timeouts more focused. With Coach L extended now through 2019 we expect him to continue to bring energy to the program, and hopefully take the 'Canes to the next level. We hope winning at Duke is a sign of things to come.

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