Florida State football recruiting: Depth = development

I have other things to write today and didn't plan to write this at all, so this will be a short article.

Some readers asked me if this would be Jimbo Fisher's best recruiting class at Florida State. My instinctive reaction was no, because Florida State only has one top-25 recruit in five-star cornerback Levonta Taylor. Every class under Jimbo Fisher has had more than that, and sometimes four or even five.

But that the class is rated in the top five without that, and that if it somehow is perfect Wednesday and adds all of its top targets (though none are in the top-25) while LSU and Alabama slip it could end up No. 1 overall really speaks to the depth of the class.  13 of Florida State's 21 commitments are rated four- or five-stars, which is excellent, and the number could rise to 17 or 18, even.

That's a strong infusion of talent. I wrote about how Florida State rebounded to do that here (some within its control, some not), but talent is coming in.

And yet, how much of it is truly going to play early? Other than the kickers and punters, I could perhaps see one or two players starting as freshmen. The rest are going to have to battle to get on the field. And that's a good thing. It's a good thing that Florida State signed four offensive linemen in 2015 and will sign five or six this year, and that in all likelihood, the vast majority won't be in line to start until after two years of lifting weights and learning the offense. It means being able to run mature, game-ready bodies into the lineup and not have to play kids before they are ready.

There are some spots, like linebacker or corner where young guys have a chance to get early snaps, but most spots already have entrenched starters and talented backups.

Will this class have the least five-star talent of any Jimbo Fisher has signed at Florida State? Yes. But it might also have the most depth of any group of Seminoles he's landed.