Abdul Bello commits: Impact of offensive lineman on Florida State recruiting

Florida State landed an important offensive line target Tuesday when Abdul Bello, of Montverde (Fla.) Academy committed to Florida State. The four-star offensive lineman stands 6'5 and weighs 310 pounds. He chose Florida State over offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU and others.

The commitment was not unexpected by Florida State sources, who were pleased Monday about the news.

Bello is an interesting story. He is new to the game of football, having come to the United States just a year ago from his native Nigeria, and has played only a handful of games. The competition he faces at the Montverde Academy is quite weak, and he does dominate it. When he is beaten, it is usually because of technique or feel, and not because of any physical limitation.

Coaches I've spoke with from various schools all rave about Bello's coachability. He doesn't have any habits at all, much less bad habits, which makes him a very athletic, huge body with a completely blank slate. I've seen him look lost on one rep, then see a coach instruct him on a specific part of his game, and Bello puts that advice into practice, dominating on the very next rep.

He is also young for his grade level, making him a surefire redshirt candidate barring a huge improvement in his game in the next 13 months. And that's just fine at Florida State, as the Seminoles will have 10 players with at least one full year in the program by that point.

I put out my scouting report on Bello earlier in the year, and having seen him twice since then, I still support my early conclusions.

I'll be interested to see how much Bello improves as a senior. I do not believe he is a candidate to start as a freshman at a major school, but he could be one of college football's best in 2017-19 if he keeps developing his skill set.

One other thing I have noticed about Bello is that he is much better at right tackle than left tackle at this point. It will be interesting to see if he stays on that side.

I believe FSU will be looking to take one more offensive tackle in the class, as it now has Bello and grayshirt Ethan Frith, who delayed enrollment by a semester while recovering from shoulder surgery. FSU also has a very nice center and guard combo committed in David Robbins and Cole Minshew.