Noles News: FSU vs. Oklahoma one day away, Latson earns 7th straight ACC honor

Recruiting

Florida State officially announced the addition of transfer portal defensive lineman Braden Fiske on Tuesday, the latest transfer talent to join the Seminoles (who hold the No. 1 transfer class, according to 247Sports).

“I’m fired up to have Braden joining our program,” head coach Mike Norvell said. “He has been an extremely productive playmaker with his relentless style of play and versatility along the defensive line. As we went through the evaluation and recruitment of Braden, it was obvious that he was the right fit for Florida State on and off the field. We are excited to have him as part of the Seminole Family.”

Stay updated with everything recruiting and transfer portal related with Tomahawk Nation’s FSU recruiting and transfer portal thread.

Football

We’re just one day away from Florida State’s Cheez-It Bowl matchup vs. the Oklahoma Sooners — according to DraftKings, FSU is currently a 9.5-point favorite over the Sooners with the over/under set at 66.

The Seminoles spent Tuesday at Fun Spot in Orlando after practice, getting the chance to make lifelong memories for local kids from the West Lakes community:

(sorry not sorry for the self-promo)

FSU vs. Oklahoma is set for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff on December 29 from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, with the Cheez-It Bowl to be broadcast on ESPN.

Basketball

For the seventh straight week, Florida State women’s basketball freshman guard Ta’Niya Latson has earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors after putting up 21 points and six assists against the Miami Hurricanes to open ACC play.

From FSU Sports Info:

She is the only player in the country who ranks in the Top 3 in total points (third; 350), free throws made (second; 105) and field goals made (third; 242).

Ranking in the Top 3 in the nation in all three categories raises the conversation that as just a freshman, Latson might be the most versatile scorer in the country. Despite her high volume of shots from the floor (242 total attempts), Latson is shooting 50.4 percent overall and 40.4 percent from 3-point range.

She continues to lead the ACC in scoring at 25.0 points per game while igniting the Seminoles to their best start at 12-2 overall since the 2019-20 season. Latson’s scoring has been a big part in FSU showing a near +18.0 points per game improvement in scoring (87.9 from 70.0) from its first 14 games in 2021-22.

Men’s hoops also got in on the Rookie of the Week action, with Cam Corhen getting tabbed after logging a career-high 18 points as well as two assists and seven rebounds in last week’s win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Soccer

Florida State soccer got some major news Tuesday night, with 2024 forward Taylor Suarez flipping her commitment from North Carolina to Florida State:

Suaraz, a starting forward on the US Women’s U17 National Soccer Team, was named 2021 Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year as a sophomore.

From the Charlotte Post:

The brightest star currently in the Charlotte sports galaxy right now is so far away – 8,497 miles away to be exact – that it’s a safe bet most don’t even know her name.

Taylor Suarez, a junior at Ardrey Kell High who also plays for the Charlotte Soccer Academy, was a starting forward for the U.S. Women’s U17 National Soccer Team against hosts India at the FIFA U17 World Cup in their first match on Tuesday.

She played all 90 minutes at Kahlinga Stadium, a cricket ground in Bhubaneswar, a city similar in size to Charlotte on the northern part of India’s east coast, and scored on a penalty kick in the USA’s 8-0 win.

Coming into the World Cup, Suarez had earned nine national team caps, starting four matches, scoring twice and assisting six times.

Lightning quick with darting moves, Suarez, who played as a freshman at Charlotte Christian, scored 18 goals and recorded 12 assists last season even though she missed eight games due to national team duties. Still, she helped Ardrey Kell to a 25-2-1 record and a 4A state runner-up finish to Cardinal Gibbons on penalty kicks. Suarez recorded five goals and six assists in six playoff games.