Noles News: FSU has sixth-highest average in 2025 recruiting class

Recruiting

Florida State’s major July continued over the weekend, with blue-chip wide receiver Daylan McCutcheon committing to the Seminoles over Texas, SMU, USC and Ohio State — from Tomahawk Nation’s NoleThruandThru:

While there have a few notable exceptions over the years, normally I wouldn’t put much stock in top targets from Texas becoming Seminoles. McCutcheon is a different story due to strong family ties to the state of Florida (Fort Lauderdale) and the great connection he’s built with Ron Dugans. That connection proved crucial today as McCutcheon spurned other major NIL offers to choose FSU.

McCutcheon hauled in 92 catches for 1,423 yards and 19 touchdowns last season- that’s some significant productivity. He also carries a 3.96 GPA.

McCutcheon is among my favorite prospects in this cycle. Watching his film, there are times I swear I’m looking at the next Rashad Greene. McCutcheon has deceptive speed and is already an accomplished route runner. He shows sound awareness of the field in front of him and doesn’t shy away from contact. He has Mr. Reliable written all over him at the next level.

McCutcheon’s commitment makes 12 members of FSU’s 2025 recruiting class and 11 blue-chips, with the Seminoles currently holding the sixth-highest average rating according to both 247Sports and On3.

247Sports:

No. 1: Alabama Crimson Tide (94.68 avg.)

No. 2: Ohio State Buckeyes (93.89 avg.)

No. 3: Oregon Ducks (93.88 avg.)

No. 4: LSU Tigers (93.29 avg.)

No. 5: Georgia Bulldogs (92.98 avg.)

No. 6: Florida State Seminoles (92.89 avg.)

No. 7: Clemson Tigers (92.83 avg.)

No. 8: Michigan Wolverines (91.61 avg.)

No. 9: Texas A&M Aggies (91.49 avg.)

No. 10: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (91.07 avg.)

On3:

No. 1: Alabama Crimson Tide (91.78 avg.)

No. 2: Ohio State Buckeyes (92.39 avg.)

No. 3: Georgia Bulldogs (91.73 avg.)

No. 4: Oregon Ducks (92.35 avg.)

No. 5: LSU Tigers (92.11 avg.)

No. 6: Florida State Seminoles (91.63 avg.)

No. 7: Clemson Tigers (91.34 avg.)

No. 8: Michigan Wolverines (90.50 avg.)

No. 9: Texas A&M Aggies (90.35 avg.)

No. 10: Texas Longhorns (90.17 avg.)

2025 Florida State commitments:

• QUARTERBACK: 4 star Tramell Jones Jr (FL)
• WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star CJ Wiley (GA)
• WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Daylan McCutcheon (TX)
• TIGHT END: 4 star Chase Loftin (NE)
• OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 5 star Solomon Thomas (FL)
• OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4 star Peyton Joseph (FL)
• DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4 star Javion Hilson (FL)
• DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4 star Myron Charles (FL)
• DEFENSIVE TACKLE: 4 star Kevin Wynn (GA)
• LINEBACKER: 4 star Ethan Pritchard (FL)
• DEFENSIVE BACK: 4 star Gregory “Zae” Thomas (FL)
• DEFENSIVE BACK: 3 star Max Redmon (FL)

Football

It’s finally here — or, rather, it will be once 4 p.m. ET strikes. If you are a normal person who hasn’t been hyper-fixated on a game that hasn’t been released since 2012 and doesn’t know what I’m talking about, EA Sports’ College Football 25 drops today on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S | X.

The game has Florida STate as the No. 12 team in the country (88 overall rating), with the No. 22 offense (83 rating) and No. 11 defense (88 rating), as well as rating Doak Campbell Stadium as the No. 9 toughest place to play.

College Football 25: Overall Team Rankings

1. Georgia Bulldogs: 95
2. Ohio State Buckeyes: 93
3. Oregon Ducks: 93
4. Alabama Crimson Tide: 92
5. Texas Longhorns: 92
6. Clemson Tigers: 90
7. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 90
8. LSU Tigers: 90
9. Penn State Nittany Lions: 88
10. Utah Utes: 88
11. Michigan Wolverines: 88
12. Florida State Seminoles: 88
13. Miami Hurricanes: 88
14. Texas A&M Aggies: 88
15. Ole Miss Rebels: 88
16. Colorado Buffaloes: 87
17. Oklahoma Sooners: 87
18. Wisconsin Badgers: 87
19. USC Trojans: 87
20. Virginia Tech Hokies: 87
21. NC State Wolfpack: 87
22. Kansas Jayhawks: 87
23. Arizona Wildcats: 87
24. Oklahoma State Cowboys: 87
25. Iowa Hawkeyes: 87

College Football 25: Offensive Rankings

1. Georgia Bulldogs: 94
2. Oregon Ducks: 94
3. Alabama Crimson Tide: 91
4. Texas Longhorns: 91
5. Ohio State Buckeyes: 89
6. LSU Tigers: 89
7. Miami Hurricanes: 89
8. Colorado Buffaloes: 89
9. Missouri Tigers: 89
10. Clemson Tigers: 87
11. Utah Utes: 87
12. Penn State Nittany Lions: 87
13. Ole Miss Rebels: 87
14. Kansas Jayhawks: 87
15. Arizona Wildcats: 87
16. NC State Wolfpack: 87
17. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 85
18. Texas A&M Aggies: 85
19. Memphis Tigers: 85
20. SMU Mustangs: 85
21. UCF Knights: 85
22. Florida State Seminoles: 83
23. Oklahoma Sooners: 83
24. Virginia Tech Hokies: 83
25. USC Trojans: 83

College Football 25: Defensive Rankings

1. Ohio State Buckeyes: 96
2. Georgia Bulldogs: 94
3. Oregon Ducks: 90
4. Alabama Crimson Tide: 90
5. Clemson Tigers: 90
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 90
7. Michigan Wolverines: 90
8. Texas Longhorns: 88
9. Penn State Nittany Lions: 88
10. Utah Utes: 88
11. Florida State Seminoles: 88
12. Oklahoma Sooners: 88
13. Iowa Hawkeyes: 88
14. Virginia Tech Hokies: 86
15. Wisconsin Badgers: 86
16. USC Trojans: 86
17. Auburn Tigers: 86
18. LSU Tigers: 84
19. Texas A&M Aggies: 84
20. Colorado Buffaloes: 84
21. Oklahoma State Cowboys: 84
22. Louisville Cardinals: 84
23. North Carolina Tar Heels: 84
24. Kansas State Wildcats: 84
25. Florida Gators: 84

College Football 25: Toughest Places to Play

1. Texas A&M Aggies: Kyle Field (College Station, TX)
2. Alabama Crimson Tide: Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
3. LSU Tigers: Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, LA)
4. Ohio State Buckeyes: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH)
5. Georgia Bulldogs: Sanford Stadium (Athens, GA)
6. Penn State Nittany Lions: Beaver Stadium (University Park, PA)
7. Wisconsin Badgers: Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, WI)
8. Oklahoma Sooners: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Norman, OK)
9. Florida State Seminoles: Doak Campbell Stadium (Tallahassee, FL)
10. Florida Gators: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (Gainesville, FL)
11. Oregon Ducks: Autzen Stadium (Eugene, OR)
12. Clemson Tigers: Memorial Stadium (Clemson, SC)
13. Tennessee Volunteers: Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, TN)
14. Auburn Tigers: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, AL)
15. South Carolina Gamecocks: Williams-Brice Stadium (Columbia, SC)
16. Michigan Wolverines: Michigan Stadium (Ann Arbor, MI)
17. Virginia Tech Hokies: Lane Stadium (Blacksburg, VA)
18. Utah Utes: Rice-Eccles Stadium (Salt Lake City, UT)
19. Texas Longhorns: Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, TX)
20. Iowa Hawkeyes: Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, IA)
21. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, IN)
22. Michigan State Spartans: Spartan Stadium (East Lansing, MI)
23. Arkansas Razorbacks: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, AR)
24. Boise State Broncos: Albertsons Stadium (Boise, ID)
25. Mississippi State Bulldogs: Davis Wade Stadium (Starkville, MS)

MLB Draft

We got to experience James Tibbs-Cam Smith back-to-back for one last time on Sunday, as the duo went in consecutive picks (Nos. 13 and 14 to the San Fransisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, respectively) during the 2024 MLB Draft:

Tibbs, celebrating with family at his Marietta, Georgia, home, was selected 13th overall by the San Francisco Giants. Smith, with family in Palm Beach, Florida, was taken one pick later, 14th overall by the Chicago Cubs.

Tibbs and Smith are the first Seminole teammates taken in the top 15 of a single draft in program history, and Sunday was just the third time – and first since 1995 – that two Seminoles were selected in the first round. The 2024 draft was the first time that a pair of FSU position players were taken in the first round.

The duo became the highest-drafted Seminoles since Buster Posey was selected fifth overall by the San Francisco Giants in 2008; Tibbs is the first Seminole taken the Giants since Posey, who completed his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the team following the 2021 season.

Tibbs, the ACC Player of the Year, ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, first-team All-American and first-team Academic All-American, is FSU’s highest-drafted outfielder since Kenny Felder went 10th in 1992. He is just the fifth Florida State player drafted by the Giants.

Smith, a second-team All-American, is the highest-drafted third baseman in FSU history and the 11th player taken by the Cubs.

Tibbs led Florida State with 28 home runs, 95 RBI, a .777 slugging percentage and 58 walks. Tibbs’ 28 home runs are fifth in a season at FSU and the most since Marshall McDougall also had 28 in 1999. His 95 RBI are seventh in a season at FSU.

Smith led Florida State with a .387 batting average, 104 hits, 82 runs and 22 doubles. Smith’s 104 hits were the most for a Nole since Posey had 119 in 2008. Smith added a career-high 16 home runs and drew 44 walks. Tibbs and Smith both started all 66 games for the Garnet and Gold in 2024.

All Sports

Florida State men’s golfer Luke Clanton wrapped up a three-week run on the PGA Tour this weekend, taking a break before returning to PGA play at the end of July:

He carded a 1-under par score of 71 for a 13-under total score of 275 as he played in for the third consecutive weekend in his third consecutive PGA Tour event.

Clanton is scheduled to play in the PGA Tour’s 3M Open (TPC Twin Cities, Blaine Minn., July 25-28) and the US Amateur (Hazeltine National Colf Club, Chaska, Minn., Aug. 12-18) in the coming weeks.

Clanton averaged 67.42 strokes in 12 rounds during the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the John Deere Classic, and the ISCO Championship. He played 10 of his 12 rounds below par, 11 of his 12 rounds at par or better, and closed his three-week run with eight consecutive rounds scored below par.

Clanton got off to a great start Thursday with three birdies in his first five holes to finish with a 2-under par 70 — nine strokes behind leader Pierceson Cody and tied for 84th place.

Clanton was in tie for 35th place after the first two rounds of play with a 36-hole total of 135 (70-65). He rebounded nicely from his first round score of 2 under par 70 to post a 7 under par score of in the second round.

Clanton was in a tie for 34th place with a three round total of 204 (70-65-69) after 54 holes. His score 69 on Saturday included three birdies and one eagle.

Clanton, who will return to Florida State’s campus and to the Seminole Legacy Golf Course for start of classes and his junior year in August, played in the ISCO Championship on a sponsor’s exemption. He also has a sponsor’s exemption for the 3M Championship later this month in Minnesota.

Florida State track and field alum Alonzo Russell will represent the Bahamas at the Paris Olympics:

Russell will be a part of the mixed 4x400-meter relay team that qualified for Paris through the World Relays Championships earlier this year.

Russell has represented his country at the Olympics since 2016, where he took home the bronze medal as a part of the 4x400 relay. He also competed at the 2020 Olympic Games in the 400.

During his time as a member of the FSU men’s track and field team from 2013-14, he accumulated three All-American honors.

Russell is the 61st Seminole with ties to FSU track and field to compete in the Olympics. FSU has had a representative in every Games since 1972. FSU now has six headed to Paris, including Linden Hall (Australia), Lauren Ryan (Australia), Jermiah Davis (USA), Adriaan Wildschutt (South Africa) and Kimberly Willams (Jamaica).

Former Florida State soccer player Emily Sams has been added as an alternate for the US National Team:

She joins Casey Krueger (Short) and Jenna Nighswonger as former Seminoles representing the USWNT in Paris, the first time three Seminoles will represent the United States in women’s soccer.

Sams played three seasons over five years at Florida State with 62 appearances and 61 starts, scoring six goals with seven assists for 19 career points as a defender. She earned United States Coaches All-American honors in 2020 and 2021 while being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

The defender played a season with BK Häcken in Sweden before being drafted third overall by the Orlando Pride in the 2023 NWSL Draft. Through two seasons, she has made over 35 appearances on the Orlando backline and held 14 clean sheets for a 40% clean sheet percentage in games she plays. Orlando is currently top of the table in the NWSL with 38 points after 16 matches with no losses through the season up to this point. The Pride currently hold the longest unbeaten stretch in NWSL history at 17 matches.

Sams has yet to make her United States Women’s National Team debut but was invited to the pre-olympic training camp and will be an alternate for the squad at the 2024 Olympics.

The United States will begin its Olympic journey on July 25 against Zambia at 3 p.m. ET.