The Florida State Seminoles are on fire on the recruiting trail. After receiving commitments from four-star wide receivers Lawayne McCoy and BJ Gibson, Mike Norvell reeled in his biggest fish, five-star tight end prospect Landen Thomas.
Thomas, who stands 6’4 235 pounds and attends Colquitt County High School in Moutrie, Georgia, originally committed to Norvell and Florida State in April 2021. In October of that year, Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs offered. He decommitted from FSU the next day. Then, in July 2022, he pulled the trigger for UGA. However, the Seminoles’ staff never gave up on Thomas, hosting him three times already this year, and now he’s back in the fold.
Thomas ranks 24th overall in the 247Sports Composite List and has a 99 rating. He’s the No. 1 tight end in the country and the firth best player in GA.
From Andrew Ivins of 247Sports:
A potential X-factor at the tight end position given his frame, strong hands, fluid movement patterns and run-after-catch capabilities. Quickly made a name for himself as a freshman at the South Georgia power that is Colquitt County and kept on progressing, catching 31 passes for 533 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore before totaling 753 yards and eight scores on 44 receptions as a junior. Rather crafty as a route runner as he can shake defenders by mixing gears and sinking his hips. Has plenty of experience working out of the slot, but has also put his hand in the dirt and played more and more of a traditional in-line role over the years. Still figuring out how to juggle blocking and pass catching duties, but isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty and try to move a defensive end out of the way. Size hasn’t been verified in a while, but will likely need to add some mass in both the upper and lower halves once he arrives at the college of his choice if he wants to reach his full potential. Should be viewed as one of the top pass-catching tight end prospects in the 2024 cycle based on his resume. Likely to thrive in an offensive system that wants to move players around pre-snap and create mismatches. NFL upside.
Athletic Background
2022: MaxPreps Junior All-American second-team selection. In 14 games, totaled 44 receptions for 753 yards and 8 TDs. Also scored 5 times on the ground while working at QB in short-yardage situations.
2021: Transitioned to more and more of a traditional TE. All-Region selection. Caught 31 passes for 516 yards and 7 TDs. Helped Colquitt County go 8-3.
2020: MaxPreps Freshman All-American. Played on varsity for Colquitt County team that made a deep run in Peach State’s AAAAAAA playoffs.
Four-star and rising QB commit Luke Kromenhoek is going to have a host of talented pass catchers coming in with him. FSU’s 2024 recruiting class will receive a major bump when his commitment is calculated. We’ll have all those updates and more on Tomahawk Nation as it develops.