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Jimbo Fisher has more than established his proficiency as an elite recruiter. His success in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area is well documented, and he's not only broken through the "fence" around Miami, he's put up his own, and may as well have started charging the 'Canes for rent. But if a spate of recent offers are any indication, Fisher may foresee another region as fertile recruiting ground: Alabama.
Specifically, northern Alabama, and Madison's James Clemons High School. It all started with four-star defensive end LaBryan Ray (6'5, 283), who garnered an offer from Florida State on February 19th, and for good reason. He's the No. 12 DE in the country, and, in addition to the Seminoles, also holds offers from schools such as Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Nebraska, and Louisville, in addition to others. Per his own admission, Saturday in Tallahassee was certainly a success:
Had fun at FSU with my boys @RiceMonty @No_fly29 pic.twitter.com/q7wwLIuFjd
— Labryan Ray (@LabryanRay) February 28, 2016
But as Ray mentioned, he wasn't the lone JCHS player to have a good time with the 'Noles-- nor was he the lone member of his high school class to claim an offer. After FSU's second 2016 Junior Day had concluded on Saturday, two of Ray's teammates also tweeted about receiving Florida State offers.
The first was Kyriq McDonald, a 5'11 cornerback who has also been offered by Mississippi State, among others.
Blessed to receive an offer from Florida state pic.twitter.com/lEwqEVGOvP
— Skip#⃣6⃣ (@No_fly29) February 28, 2016
A scant two minutes after McDonald posted that, his teammate, inside linebacker Monty Rice, authored a similar tweet:
Blessed to receive an offer from Florida State! pic.twitter.com/tvK0BqTGWt
— ⁶Monty Rice (@RiceMonty) February 28, 2016
In addition to FSU, Rice also has offers from Alabama, Michigan, Auburn, Louisville, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Kentucky, among others.
It goes without saying that Fisher and his staff have an eye on James Clemons High School; and given the FSU staff's eye for talent, it's worth tracking in the 2017 cycle.