DB Ricky Knight III commits to FSU over Miami (FL)

Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles had a quieter-than-expected month of June, but they kicked off July with some early fireworks. First, DD Holmes chose the ‘Noles. Now FSU has landed its second verbal commitment of the day from a blue-chip prospect for Tribe 24, and this one comes at the direct expense of a rival program.

Ricky Knight III is a 6’1”, 170 pound defensive back who plays for the Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, Florida. He is currently ranked 405th nationally by 247 sports (33rd best athlete and 58th best player in Florida). Those rankings are likely to rise, as Knight has been crushing it on the camp scene and is primed for a big senior season.

Knight chose the Seminoles over the hometown Miami Hurricanes (who thought they had Knight locked up) as well as a dozen other offers from the likes of the Illinois Fighting Illini, Iowa Hawkeyes, Louisville Cardinals, Minnesota Gophers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Pittsburgh Panthers, Texas A&M Aggies, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He will likely continue to add offers with a strong senior campaign.

Knight has quickly become one of my favorite defensive back prospects this cycle. He is a strong athlete who has experience playing wide receiver and defensive back. He also runs track for his school. Knight has looked excellent, even dominant at times, against very good competition on the camp circuit. An example? He neared double-digit interceptions in one day at the January 247 Sports National Combine. He’s also related to current teammate and fellow FSU target Kevin Levy, who plans to announce his commitment later in July.

I had this to say about Knight in the June 16th official visitor article:

I believe Knight is an underrated athlete who profiles best as a defensive back. He could cross-train at corner and safety at the next level. I’ve been a vocal proponent of FSU adding Knight for months, as he has shown his abilities on multiple camp and combine circuits. He isn’t afraid to match up against top wideouts, often skipping the line to match up against the best prospects. In a San Antonio camp half a year ago, Knight burst on the national scene when he racked up six interceptions in the one-on-one sessions against blue-chip QBs and WRs. Playing both ways for The Benjamin School helps Knight cerebrally against WRs, as he is a good route-runner himself. He shows great range, using his track speed to cover a lot of ground in a hurry, and he has the type of ballhawking ability coveted at the next level.

Check out Tomahawk Nation’s most recent Official Recruiting and Transfer Portal Thread to interact with the Three Stars and for more information about FSU recruiting.