Noles News: 5-star defensive back Charles Lester III sets commitment date

Recruiting

Five-star defensive back Charles Lester III, the second-ranked player at his position in the 2024 class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings, announced that he’ll be making his commitment decision on July 29. The Venice, Florida prospect has narrowed down his final schools to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs and Colorado Buffaloes:

From NoleThruandThru’s visitor preview last weekend ahead of Lester’s trip to Tallahassee:

Lester is, in a word, smooth. He appears to glide effortlessly through his breaks and when blanketing the top offensive weapon on the opposing team. He is instinctual, cerebral, meticulous, and uses his long arms to win most of his battles. His change of direction is on an elite level and he has all the makings of a shut-down defender at the next level. FSU likes him at cornerback but Lester could transition to safety if needed without skipping a beat.

Confidence level: High. He had very good visits to Alabama and Colorado (gulp), but Lester has long loved the Seminoles. There was concern when former DB coach Marcus Woodson left for Arkansas, but new DB coach Patrick Surtain has quickly developed a strong relationship with Lester. HC Mike Norvell and DC Adam Fuller are heavily involved here as well. I wouldn’t consider him a lock, but I would be very surprised if Lester doesn’t sign with the Seminoles in the end.

2025 five-star wide receiver Jamie Ffrench Jr., considered the No. 4 receiver in his class, included FSU in his top five alongside the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions and Alabama:

You can catch up on all the latest Florida State football recruiting news and pick the brains of our recruiting staff in the latest edition of our recruiting thread.

QUARTERBACK: 4 star Luke Kromenhoek (GA)

RUNNING BACK: 4 star Kam Davis (GA)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Camdon Frier (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Tawaski “TJ” Abrams (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Lawayne McCoy (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star BJ Gibson (GA)

TIGHT END: 5 star Landen Thomas (GA)

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3 star Jamorie Flagg (FL)

LINEBACKER: 3 star Jayden Parrish (FL)

DEFENSIVE BACK: 4 star CJ Heard (GA)

Football

Financial pressures on the SEC and Big 10 to deliver on bigger TV viewership means those conferences and their network partners will be more selective.

If these trends hold and TV executives become increasingly demanding of college football in order to give more in rights fees, what are the implications for the ACC and Florida State?

Jon Loesche breaks it down.

Baseball

Softball

Florida State pitcher Kathryn Sandercock has signed on to join the fourth season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball Championship:

The 2023 ACC Pitcher of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP and a 2023 NFCA Second Team All-American, Sandercock led Florida State to the ACC Tournament title in 2022 and 2023. Sandercock and the Seminoles defeated Oklahoma State, Washington and Tennessee on their way to the Women’s College World Series Championship Series.

She was recently added to the Team USA roster for the 2023 WBSC World Cup – Group A set to take place in Fingal-Dublin, Ireland, July 11-15.

“Throughout her stellar career at Florida State, Kat inspired so many with her competitive nature and obvious love for the game,” said Cheri Kempf, Athletes Unlimited Senior Vice President and Director of Softball. “We are thrilled to be able to provide the professional platform through which she will continue to inspire fans of all ages and we are especially looking forward to returning a former Little League World Series participant to the Pro Games at the Little League World Series this summer.”

Sandercock joins Jessie Warren, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2018 WCWS while leading FSU to the national championship, as former Seminoles participating in Athletes Unlimited.

All Sports

Alice Hodge, Kaylah Williams and Lottie Woad have been named to the 2023 All ACC Academic Women’s Golf team:

For Hodge, it marks the third consecutive year she has been named to the team, which makes her one of 10 players in Florida State history to be named as one of the top scholars in the nation’s top conference for women’s golf three or more times during her career. It marks the first time both Williams and Woad have been named to the prestigious team.

The selections of Hodge, Williams and Woad marks the ninth consecutive season that at least two Seminoles have been named to the All-ACC Academic Women’s Golf Team.

Florida State men’s golfer Frederik Kjettrup was selected as the ACC Men’s Golf’s Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year:

The Aabybro, Denmark, native produced a strong junior season after earning honorable mention All-America honors by the Golf Coaches Association of America as well as Golfweek. Kjettrup also made the All-ACC Men’s Golf Team, earned a second straight selection to the Arnold Palmer Cup and was recognized as the conference’s golfer of the month in Feb. 2023.

Last year, Kjettrup won another prestigious academic honor when he was named a Srixon/Cleveland All-America Scholar in 2022.

Kjettrup remains the only Seminole golfer in program history to shoot three rounds of 64 in his career. He is a two-time tournament champion, most recently winning the 2023 Watersound Invitational when his 18-under showing was the lowest three-round score ever at FSU.

The two-time All-American shot a career-low 70.94 this season, one of only nine Seminoles to record a sub-71 scoring average in a single year.

The Sport Management major also earned a selection to the All-ACC Men’s Golf Academic Team, coming off another successful semester where he made the Dean’s List in Spring 2023.