Florida State football, recruiting news: FSU commits stand out at Army All-American Bowl practice

Football

The buzz surrounding the success the ACC has had this offseason is not a new phenomenon. However, Pick Six Previews took the analysis a step further and the results are even more flattering to Florida State as well as the rest of the ACC.

If you were watching Florida go up against Iowa in the Outback Bowl on Monday, you did in fact hear the Warchant infiltrate the stadium thanks to the Hawkeye fanbase.

A pair of ACC Coastal quarterbacks announced they would be leaving school early to declare for the NFL Draft, one of whom should be especially familiar to FSU fans.

Recruiting

Among some of the best players in the nation, FSU commits Cam Akers and DJ Matthews made an impression at the first day of practice for Saturday’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

With the 2017 Under Armour All-America game in the books, one of FSU’s top 2018 commits announced that he will be playing in next year’s edition.

Alumni

Matt Miller’s latest seven-round NFL mock draft for Bleacher Report has four Seminoles being taken, including two in the first round.

15. Indianapolis Colts

The Pick: RB Dalvin Cook, Florida State

The Indianapolis Colts need an almost entirely new defense, but the allure of Cook is too great for Jim Irsay's crew to pass on.

Cook is a special three-down talent. At 6'0" and 205 pounds, he's not the biggest back, but Cook is an exciting runner between the tackles and a great receiver out of the backfield. If there's another Priest Holmes or Jamaal Charles in college football, it's Cook.

Pairing Cook and Andrew Luck gives the Colts a duo they were supposed to get when Ryan Grigson traded for Trent Richardson in 2013.

29. Atlanta Falcons

The Pick: DL DeMarcus Walker, FSU

Walker can do it all as a defensive lineman coming out of the Florida State defense. A strong-side defensive end with the size (6'2", 273 lbs) to sometimes bump inside in sub-package situations, he would be a fantastic addition to a defense that has the NFL's sack leader in Vic Beasley.

Walker got overshadowed as Florida State struggled through parts of 2016, but his play never slipped. He had the production on tape to match the stats he put on paper and shows the speed-to-power transition to match up well against NFL left tackles opposite Beasley at left defensive end.

The Falcons have locked up key free agents and nailed the 2016 draft class. Now the team can add a premier pass-rusher in the late first round.

In Dan Kadar’s latest mock for SB Nation, Cook is again a first-round pick, while Walker is joined by FSU left tackle, Rod Johnson, in the second round.

Other Sports

The Florida State men’s basketball team shot up the polls after an impressive road victory over Virginia over the weekend. Additionally, sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon was recognized as the Lute Olson Award national player of the week after his historic performance in the upset.

Here’s full video of his 29-point performance:

While sitting down with John Rothstein of FanRag Sports for an interview on his podcast, FSU men’s head coach Leonard Hamilton took a public stance against the way the NBA draft process is handled. (Hamilton’s interview begins at the five-minute mark)

Speaking of the Seminoles’ men’s team, an upcoming home matchup with Duke just got a lot more interesting after it was announced in a press release that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will be undergoing back surgery and miss the next four weeks.

The Florida State women’s basketball team reached new heights with the unveiling of this week’s AP poll before suffering a home loss on Monday which snapped a 13-game winning streak.