Quashon Fuller is trying to determine if Florida State is his best fit

Late last week, I stopped by Lehigh (Fla.) High School to check in on Florida State defensive line recruit Quashon Fuller.

How committed is Fuller?

I asked Fuller how committed he really is to Florida State, since he’s been publicly open to other schools.

“I’m committed,” he said, declining to say whether he was 100%, or “solid.”

His commitment is essentially a function of reserving a spot in the class, so to speak.

Fuller committed to FSU in March of 2017, to Jimbo Fisher’s coaching staff. Now with a new staff in Tallahassee, he wants to make sure the fit is still right. And in doing so, he’s let Willie Taggart know he’ll be taking visits and will be considering all his options.

“You only get one shot at [the college experience],” Fuller said. “My mom and I want to make sure I look around and check out all my options.”

On Sunday evening, he listed his top-10 schools on Twitter, which is unusual for a “committed” prospect, but it shows how he’s considering all his options.

It’s not clear how many schools on his list would accept a commitment from him at this time.

Fuller truly likes Florida State and is a legitimate fan. He can name players who starred before he was in kindergarten, and he watches old highlights. He knows more about FSU than most commits I interview.

His relationship with the staff is evolving

Fuller told me his first experience with the new staff wasn’t the best.

“Some of the answers they gave me to my questions didn’t make sense to me,” Fuller said, explaining that he asked questions about playing time, scheme, and the NFL.

He also wasn’t feeling the love, or that he was a priority.

However, he visited Florida State on May 13, and this time around, he said he got better answers, and he and his mom were made to feel more prioritized.

“I can see myself fitting there and playing my four years,” Fuller said.

His best relationship is with DL coach Odell Haggins, although his relationship with defensive ends coach Mark Snyder is also growing. But as was mentioned earlier, he also dropped a Top-10 a week after the visit.

How committed is FSU to Fuller?

Florida State has not dropped Fuller, although his release of a Top-10 while still claiming to be “committed” rubbed some coaches the wrong way, since they just spent a Saturday hosting him on a visit.

But FSU certainly isn’t recruiting like it is counting on him in the class, nor should it. It has to look at his actions, which are not those of a committed prospect.

FSU is sitting pretty with a number of elite defensive line targets, and it intends to sign at least five defensive linemen in the class. If Fuller decommits, or fails to firm up to FSU, the staff’s actions show it won’t be caught off guard.

Is Fuller a defensive end?

Fuller insists he’s a defensive end and wants to be a pass-rusher. However, he’s 6’4 and 280 pounds right now, having put on weight since his 2017 shoulder injury. He wears a size 16 shoe and has the frame of a future defensive tackle.

But Fuller has other plans.

“I’m going to be down to 260 before the season,” Fuller said.

If he does that, perhaps he can stick at defensive end, although it certainly won’t be at the “flash” defensive end position in FSU’s defense, but rather at the strong-side end.

Fuller is looking to prove himself after injury

After only playing a handful of games in 2017 due to injury, Fuller is eager to have a big season to show he can play to the talent level of his lofty four-star ranking.