Florida State football, recruiting news: 3 Seminoles on list of top 50 college football players

Football

FSU landed three players in the top 50 of CFB 24/7’s list of the top 150 college football players entering the 2017 season and had three more players in the bottom 100 of the list in Josh Sweat, Jacques Patrick, and Derrick Nnadi.

5. Derwin James, S, Florida State: James was injured two games into last season, but will be full throttle in 2017. The tall, long safety is a secure tackler against the run and has the ball skills to create turnovers in coverage.

17. Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State: Tall with wiry strength, McFadden catches the ball if it's anywhere near his hands; his eight interceptions tied for the FBS lead last season.

47. Deondre Francois, QB, Florida State: As a redshirt freshman, Francois had his ups and downs. The Seminoles are banking on his ability to smooth out the ride in 2017, using his mobility and live arm to challenge for an ACC title.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network came back from vacation to share some impressive film from James.

This hardly comes as a surprise, but College Gameday will open the 2017 season in Atlanta for the highly-touted Florida State/Alabama game.

Florida State wide receiver signee D.J. Matthews began classes in Tallahassee on Monday.

Another 2017 signee, Cam Akers, flashed some crazy cross-sport athleticism on his Twitter account.

Recruiting

Florida State lost a member of its 2019 recruiting class as three-star defensive tackle Lloyd Murray Jr. announced his decommitment.

FSU offered a pair future prospects out on Monday in four-star 2019 linebacker King Mwikuta and 2020 defensive end Jacolbe Cowan.

Alumni

Former FSU defensive back Xavier Rhodes entered the NFL Top 100 after an impressive 2016 campaign in Minnesota.

Fran Fraschilla of ESPN shared Jonathan Isaac among his top prospects in this week’s NBA Draft.

Speaking of Isaac, he was highly regarded in a pair of final mock drafts including Draft Express and SB Nation. Dwayne Bacon was also selected in Draft Express’ two-round mock.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves — Jonathan Isaac, F, Florida State

Isaac is all tools and upside. At 6’10, he has the foot speed to guard on the perimeter and also hit 35 percent of his three-pointers in his freshman season at Florida State. In Minnesota, he could slide right in at the four between Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. If Isaac reaches his ceiling, this will be the last lottery pick Minnesota needs for a long time.

Even Michael Ojo got a workout from an NBA team in the lead-up to the draft.

Other Sports

The Florida State softball team will host an NCAA Tournament Regional this weekend as the No. 4 overall seed.

On the baseball diamond, FSU pitcher Tyler Holton earned his fourth ACC Pitcher of the Week honor this season, the most ever by a Seminole pitcher in a single season.