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Florida State The Opening recruiting notes: Two commits, and plenty of visits coming

SB Nation Recruiting

I've been out here covering The Opening for SB Nation, which entails covering all teams, including Florida State. We put together over 100 stories. But I figured I'd drop some knowledge for my readership here at TN.

  • New commit: Trey Marshall, safety, Lake City (Fla.) Columbia. Marshall is a very good player, and those who have him as a three-star are missing the boat. They'll get on before it leaves port. More: Scouting report (for the life of me, I don't see 4.34 40-yard speed on his tape) | Thoughts before committing (I had to ask about Ole Miss as well because he was playing the "I won't give quotes on camera about my commit, because ESPN won't air it on TV if it breaks early" game).
  • New commit: Corey Martinez, OL, Tampa Catholic. I never thought Martinez would be at The Opening when I saw him two years ago. He's worked hard and grown, and played well at The Opening. That's three OL commits for Rick Trickett before the fireworks fly.
  • Quarterback: There is no doubt in my mind that FSU QB commit J.J. Cosentino is better than some of the Elite 11 quarterbacks. No doubt. However, his best performance was his most recent, in Tallahassee. It was better than his Columbus Elite 11 Regional performance, which was better than his tape. They evaluate his tape and his regional performance -- not his throws weeks later in FSU's camp. I know one of the Elite 11's questions on Cosentino was his ability to get it done when he wasn't hitting the back foot and launching. Whether his mechanics stick together under pressure is something I'll be watching in his college career.
  • Kain Daub has continued to look good in coverage considering his size. He's recruiting hard for Florida State.
  • Big linebacker Jamardre Cobb will visit FSU.
  • Excellent athlete Montae Nicholson will be keeping in close contact with FSU.
  • I spoke with Jay Holmes, the FSU defensive end target who elected to commit to Ohio State during his first visit, never making it to down to Tallahassee. Credit Ohio State for knocking the visit out of the park and putting the pressure on to commit and not visit elsewhere. FSU and Tennessee are still recruiting him hard, but a visit to Tallahassee is unlikely, according to Holmes.
  • Lorenzo Carter has Florida as his leader, but didn't want to say it on camera. I'm confident UF is in his top group with Alabama and UGA. It's becoming tougher an tougher for FSU to compete with the SEC schools.
  • Ermon Lane, the stud receiver from Homestead (Fla.) High does plan to visit Florida State at some point. I question how much FSU is really in this. This is the second time he's' told me he will visit. We'll see.
  • Shai McKenzie, the excellent RB out of Pittsburgh, tells me that he FSU is out in front for him, along with Pitt. J.J. Cosentino is recruiting him, along with Sal Sunseri, along with Jay Graham. McKenzie is a big back and a nice kid to interview.
  • Malachi Dupre, the five-star receiver out of Louisiana, also plans to visit Florida State. He says he is not a lock to LSU, but... we'll see. He also likes UCLA.
  • Thomas Holley, the tremendous DT out off Brooklyn, really enjoyed his visit to Florida State over the summer. He's a thoughtful young man.
  • Leonard Fournette, the best player in the country, and IMO the best running back recruit since Adrian Peterson, does plan to visit FSU. Don't get your hopes up, Noles fans.
  • Tony Brown, arguably the best corner nationally, plans to visit FSU. Again, this would be an improbable pull.
  • Derrell Scott, the RB out of North Carolina, also really enjoyed his time in Tallahassee.

I'm sure there is a lot more. I'll go through my notes, and if there is enough, will put something together Friday. If not, I'll toss it in the comments section.