Florida State football State of Recruiting: Offensive tackles

Following the announcement that all sporting events have been suspended, the next big decision was that all recruiting activity was also placed on hold until April 15th (it’s now been extended until the end of May). We’ll use this newly enacted dead period to evaluate Florida State’s recruiting position by position. This isn’t meant to be an all-inclusive list; rather, it’s a snapshot of which players we believe are trending with FSU.

In this series, we’ve covered quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, and interior offensive line. In this article, we’ll take a look at offensive tackle. The Florida State Seminoles signed two offensive tackles last class: Lloyd Willis and Robert Scott. The Seminoles also landed an offensive tackle in graduate transfer Devontay Taylor. The woes of Florida State’s offensive tackles is well-known. Coach Mike Norvell and offensive line coach Alex Atkins must reel in at least two high school offensive tackles and another JUCO/graduate transfer in order to avoid the downfall of their predecessors.

TimScribble, NoleThruandThru, and CoachAB break it down for you here:

Current commit(s): None

Trending target(s):

Amarius Mims. 6’7 315 pound 5-star from Bleckley County High School (Cochran, GA). Offered in May of 2019, Mims made it to FSU’s campus twice last year. The heavy Georgia and Alabama lean is arguably the best tackle in the 2021 class. His long arms allow him to keep defenders within reach and off-balance. He seemingly has very little bad weight and has the frame to pack on additional pounds. The ’Noles hope to get Mims back on campus for an official visit and if that happens, could the honey fried chicken tip the scales in FSU’s favor? Stranger things have happened. Mims named FSU to his top-10. He later listed them sixth out of his ten schools:

Caleb Johnson. 6’7 295 pound 4-star out of Trinity Catholic High School (Ocala, FL). Johnson was offered by FSU in May of 2019. He’s been to Tallahassee several times, including this year’s Junior Day in January. Johnson’s highlights show he avoids standing up on his first step when run-blocking—he correctly stays low, allowing him to drive defenders. When pass-blocking, Johnson sets a good base and avoids lunging at defenders. Johnson is a very important target for Coach Atkins, one who could see the field sooner rather than later. Check out Tomahawk Nation’s recent interview with Johnson to find out where the ’Noles stand:

Micah Pettus. 6’8 315 pound 3-star from Sparkman High School (Harvest, AL). Pettus visited FSU in January for Junior Day, where he received an offer from Florida State. Pettus is a mountain of a man who can beat up defenders with his strong hands. The competition in his film is a little suspect, but Pettus doesn’t waste an opportunity to plant defenders into the ground. He’s definitely raw and will need to improve his technique, but he’d be a welcome addition at Florida State. The ’Noles are seemingly in a strong position with Pettus:

Jakiah Leftwich. 6’6, 300 pound 3-star from Westlake High School (Atlanta, GA). Leftwich was offered by FSU when he visited the campus for the January Junior Day. Leftwich does a good job sticking with his blocks and not turning defenders free. His highlights show he’s pretty nimble for a big man, often pulling from left tackle position. He can overextend at times looking to engage defenders, but as with Pettus, Leftwich would be a nice addition to this class:

George Jackson. 6’4 350 pound 3-star out of Stephenson High School (Stone Mountain, GA). Jackson was offered in 2018 and most recently visited Tallahassee in March. Jackson plays right tackle for his high school. He quickly finds the correct blocking lane on pulls and also shows surprising speed getting downfield for blocks, despite his size. Jackson has a good understanding of which defender he should take on each play and whether he should maintain the block or release and climb to the second level. He’ll need to transform his body to shed excess weight. The Gator commit has family ties to Tallahassee and has interest:

Bram Walden. 6’4, 270 pound 4-star from Saguaro High School (Scottsdale, AZ). Walden was offered this past February. He has yet to visit Florida State. Walden has great footwork, not crossing over on pass-drops and correctly using chop steps when peddling backwards. He’s very quick and drives defenders, while keeping his legs churning. He doesn’t lunge at defenders. Walden listed the ‘Noles in his top 12, but will need to visit campus at least once if FSU hopes to land his commitment:

Other names to keep an eye on at offensive tackle are Garner Langlo and recent Georgia commit Micah Morris. The Seminoles will continue to evaluate and offer other tackles.