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Florida State welcomes three official visitors this weekend in four-star tackle commit Josh Ball, of Virginia, kicker commit Logan Tyler, of Missouri, and four-star cornerback Carlos Becker, of Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola. I am a big fan of Becker and believe that Florida State is as well. I believe Becker can play corneback at FSU and is not strictly a safety as some believe. Ohio State is probably the biggest competition here, but a lot of staffs love Becker and are trying to get in on the 6'2 star who had a great senior year.
One recruit who has bumped his visit back to the 29th is offensive lineman Stewart Reese, of Ft. Pierce Central. It's unclear where Reese stands on FSU's board, but I believe if FSU greenlights him he would commit.
FSU defensive end target Terrell Hall, a four-star from DC is taking a visit this weekend to Maryland this weekend, Alabama next and Ole Miss the next. FSU did a great job on his visit and now has to try to weather the storm.
Next weekend: Two Louisiana prospects are now listed as visiting Florida State on the 22nd: Clifford Chattman and Stephon Taylor, both of New Orleans McDonough High School. Chattman is a three-star safety/linebacker hybrid, while Taylor is a four-star defensive tackle. Chattman has added some big offers in recent weeks including A&M, Arizona, South Carolina, Oklahoma and USC. FSU visited him Thursday.
Home visit from Florida state went well #Seminoles
— Clifford Chattman Jr (@cliffchattman) January 15, 2016
Most thought Taylor would be LSU-bound, but the Tigers look to be in good shape to add five-star Rashard Lawrence soon, and there could be an issue of room here. I'll be speaking with some LSU folks to determine how much room the Tigers have left in what looks like will be the No. 1 class nationally. I'll also note that FSU CB commit Kyle Meyers, another New Orleans kid will also be on the visit. FSU visited Miami Central safety commit Jamel Cook Thursday, and if he doesn't take a visit to Florida State Chattman could be insurance.
One thing that looks very clear is that FSU is intent on taking numbers this year, something it has failed to do in recent years when it missed on its top targets on National Signing Day. Plan B is important. Not filling out a roster stifles competition and allows current players to slack off because they are not being pushed by additional bodies.
Alumni
Mocking The Draft has Jalen Ramsey going 4th overall to the Dallas Cowboys. That's awesome.
The Cowboys could use a player like Ramsey at either safety or cornerback, and he'd make an impact straight away. If they like him at corner, it would allow Byron Jones to be a full-time safety. If the preference is to put Ramsey at safety - which I view as his better NFL position - Jones can stay at cornerback. Regardless, Ramsey would go a long way in fixing Dallas' secondary woes.
But what struck me was FSU's 2016 opponents are projected to lose six first rounders!
Yet another mock draft has Jalen Ramsey going 5th overall to the Jaguars. This time it's Mel Kiper ($)
The best player available here, Ramsey is a great corner or a great safety, a fit in any secondary given his skill set and incredible athleticism. Those athlete credentials? Well, consider that he's long-jumping at
roughly an Olympic level in, essentially, a second sport that he really can't commit to full time. A worthy top-five talent in the secondary.
Of interest
-Interesting article from Sports Illustrated on trends in deciding to receive or kick.
-Speaking of kicking, my friend Rodger Sherman did an amazing piece on the onside kick that turned the title game.
-I wrote about whether Georgia's drug policy will hurt its recruiting.
-SB Nation compiled a billion too-early top-25s and FSU comes in 4th. Pretty solid.
-Kirby Smart talking about the insane size of Alabama' legendary support staff. $3M for support staff. Most head coaches don't make that. I'm not even sure that includes "consultants"