#TheNewBreed: These legacy Florida State recruits can help rejuvenate things in Tallahassee

Originally published Nov. 2020

There comes a time for every program where they need kids to believe.

All schools use a different hashtag on the various social media platforms to help create and promote this belief. At Tomahawk Nation, we’ve had countless conversations regarding recruiting, creating a “cool” effect at Florida State, and needing kids to believe in Mike Norvell.

How do these things tie together? In the coming classes there are three legacy prospects the Seminoles must land to become relevant again. By relevant, I mean on a national stage not just competing with the middle of the ACC pack.

As a recruiting staff, we sat down recently and began to discuss these prospects, their game, and the impact they’d have on FSU. The following “big three” are legacies, meaning their fathers all played for the Seminoles, and that’s a major deal on the recruiting scene.

This carries extra weight for Norvell and Co. because you have an “in” of sorts. It’s not easy for a big named prospect to choose a floundering program. It’s also not easy for a prospect to choose a coach who hasn’t proven he can win outside of Memphis. However, there comes a time where a staff must sell players on their belief and get them to commit to bringing things “back”.

We’ve seen this at Florida State before — in 2010, Jimbo Fisher was able to land Jeff Luc and Lamarcus Joyner, who were national level recruits, signaling to others that it was cool to come turn Florida State around.

Let’s take a look at the “Big 3.”

Important to note there are many big name recruits that FSU is in the picture for in the ‘21, ‘22, and ‘23 classes (Destyn Hill 4*/Travis Hunter 5*) that would all classify as game-changers. This is just a look at a few.

Julian Armella

Julian Armella (Class of 2022) is a 6’6 300 pound offensive tackle prospect out of Miami, Florida. Armella currently plays for Columbus High School and is a 4-star prospect (137th best overall player and 14th best OT) in the 247 Sports Composite List. We’ve discussed Armella at length on TN and are big fans of his game.

Armella’s the type of player this staff needs to land to lead their offensive line going forward. A true left tackle type is hard to find, but Armella possesses those skills. Offensive line coach Alex Atkins and the entire FSU staff has made Armella a major priority. Will Armella be part of #TheNewBreed? Check out some of Armella’s highlights from this season:

From TimScribble:

If there’s one area that’s synonymous with Florida State’s struggles, it’s the offensive line. Specifically, offensive tackle. The struggles at this position have been well documented. Up until the 2021 class, FSU hadn’t brought in a 4-star tackle since the 2016 class. Enter Julian Armella. The Florida State legacy and 5-star offensive tackle has become somewhat of a legend on FSU boards. Almost like Bigfoot, if you will. He’s the mythical offensive tackle Seminole fans are hoping will emerge from the shadows and validate their team to rival fans.

Armella is an instant-impact tackle. He could challenge at the tackle spot for many college teams this year, including Florida State. He’s the perfect size for a tackle, with a mean streak to boot. He doesn’t just want to beat the lineman across from him, he wants to embarrass them by blowing them off the ball. If Armella were to commit to Florida State, it wouldn’t just improve the team, it would improve the national opinion of FSU.

Marvin Jones Jr.

Marvin Jones Jr. (Class of 2022) is a 6’4 225 pound weakside defensive end prospect out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Jones Jr. currently plays for American Heritage High School and is a 4-star prospect (73rd best player and 5th best WDE) in the 247 Sports Composite List. Jones Jr. is a highly coveted player nationally and is a major want/need for Florida State. Defensive ends who can change the game as pass rushers are not a dime a dozen. Jones Jr. can take a game over as a rush end, and that’s something FSU seriously lacks.

From Josh Pick:

Jones, Jr. is relatively new to the defensive end position, but his size, speed, athleticism, and potential jump off the screen, and it goes without saying that he has great bloodlines. Jones is also very connected to some of the best players in South Florida, including 4-star cornerback Earl Little, Jr., who’s his best friend, so by landing Jones, Jr., Florida State could put itself in the mix for other blue-chip prospects.

This will be a heavily contested recruiting battle and FSU will have to fight tooth and nail with the top programs in college football. Will Jones, Jr. be a part of #TheNewBreed? Let’s take a look at some of his highlights:

Lamont Green Jr.

Last, but certainly not least, is Lamont “Boots” Green, Jr. (class of 2023), a 6’4 220 weakside defensive end prospect out of Miami, Florida. Green Jr. currently plays for Gulliver Prep High School and is an unranked prospect, but that’s only because most ’23 players aren’t currently ranked. Green Jr. is another player we’ve discussed quite a bit at TN, for good reason—he’s a fast-rising prospect who eventually projects to be ranked highly. Another game-changer at the defensive end position is what the doctor ordered for the Florida State defense. Another opportunity for FSU to recruit, what should be, a high ranking player who could change the trajectory of this program.

Will Green Jr. be a part of #TheNewBreed? Check out his sophomore highlights:

From NoleThruAndThru:

If you want to see a prototypical defensive end, look no further than Lamont Green, Jr. He’s just a sophomore in high school, but is a legit 6’4, 220 pounds of muscle. His combination of power and speed off the edge routinely catches offensive tackles off balance, and once he’s past them, “Boots” is devastating in the backfield. He routinely crushes some brutal workouts his father puts him through (just check out the videos on Twitter) and is a sure-fire 4-star prospect with a great shot at being a 5-star. Too talented to keep off the field, Boots would be an instant-impact pass rusher for a program in desperate need of one.