FSU Recruiting: National Signing Day Predictions

National Signing Day is almost here, Florida State fans. Head coach Jimbo Fisher and company look to close strong for yet another year. FSU finished with the No. 2 class in the country last year and enter the day with a top 5 class.

Recruiting analyst Jay Brading and lead writer Clint Eiland weigh in on what’s left on the big board for the Seminoles. Below is a look at the final targets the Seminoles hope to land, when they’ll be committing and ultimately, where we think they will go:

Prospect: Leonard Warner, 4-star LB
Commit time: 8:30 a.m. EST
Finalists: FSU and Stanford
Georgia was the favorite to land Leonard Warner for the majority of his recruitment but the Bulldogs filled up at his position. That left FSU and Stanford battling for his services. Stanford was waiting for Warner to be admitted before spending a final in-home visit on him, but it appears as though the Cardinal staff never made that visit. All signs point to FSU landing his signature.
Jay’s Prediction: FSU.
Clint’s Prediction: FSU. We’ve heard nothing but Florida State for the past few weeks, and Georgia has a really full class.

Prospect: Levi Jones, 4-star LB
Commit time: 8:50 a.m. EST
Finalists: Florida State, USC and Florida
Levi Jones is one of those kids who falls in love with every place he visits, hence why he made Florida his leader after his first official visit. It’s a big reason why FSU having his final official visit was a big deal. Before the official visits, Jones named FSU his leader and also stated that his father prefers FSU. On his official visit, his family spent time with the families of former Seminoles Corey Simon and Peter Boulware. Strong bonds have been made in Tallahassee and you have to feel good about the Seminoles’ chances. USC is another team that feels it has a great shot to land Jones.
Jay’s Prediction: The Florida State staff feels that they have put themselves in a great position to land Jones and outside sources feel the same way. It’s hard not to pick FSU in this case.
Clint’s Prediction: FSU. The Seminoles received his last official visit, and tight ends coach Tim Brewster knows how to steal players from Texas.

Prospect: Neil Farrell, 3-star DT (LSU commit)
Commit time: 10 a.m. EST
Finalists: FSU, LSU and USC
When Farrell took official visits to USC and FSU, that pretty much opened the door for a flip. Then he tweeted out that he was making a final decision on National Signing Day. The curious thing to ponder here is if he is making a decision based on where Marvin Wilson is going. He commits before Wilson, so that idea seems unlikely. This one will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.
Jay’s Prediction: FSU is expecting him in this class, so it’s hard not to trust the staff’s confidence and assume he flips from LSU.
Clint’s Prediction: FSU. Farrell was a relatively recent commit to LSU, yet FSU was able to get his last official visit as well. Florida State grabs another player from Alabama.

Prospect: Henry Ruggs III, 4-star WR
Commit time: Noon EST
Finalists: Alabama and FSU
Where there is smoke…. Listen, this is a recruitment that as late as Sunday was starting to trend in FSU’s direction. FSU has fought incredibly hard to get into this thing and it seemed as though it had taken the lead. Multiple sources told us, “he is going to be a Nole” and the staff was extremely confident. Alabama lost its wide receivers coach, Billy Napier, a couple of days ago. Napier was his secondary recruiter. Over the weekend, Alabama offered his Ruggs’ brother Kevontae’ and a visit took place on Sunday. It’s tough to say how impactful that will be, but it could be what puts the Crimson Tide back over the top. Alabama is the only team who offered his brother a scholarship. The staff likely wont keep this offer once Henry is signed; they did the same thing with Calvin Ridley’s brother, but it could make a significant impact.
Jay’s Prediction: Here is the problem: sources most recently expected Ruggs to come to FSU. The offer to the younger brother could have very well swung it back in Alabama’s favor, but FSU isn’t going to play the “offer his brother to get a signature” game. We’ll stick with FSU for the pick, but it’s with very low confidence. There’s a good chance that the Tide offering his brother won him back.
Clint’s Prediction: Alabama. Even though Alabama’s wide receivers coach left, the Tide offering Ruggs’ little brother is probably enough to keep him in-state.

Prospect: Devonta Smith, 4-star WR
Commit time: 3 p.m. EST
Finalists: Alabama, LSU, FSU and Miami
Alabama has been the presumed leader for Smith’s services ever since he decommitted from Georgia more than a year ago. Napier leaving Alabama may have some impact here, but it’s hard to see Smith going anywhere else. LSU still has a shot and FSU has a slightly lesser shot. Without an official visit to Miami, the Hurricanes probably aren’t much of a player.
Jay’s Prediction: Alabama.
Clint’s Prediction: LSU. This is a bit of an upset pick here since many believe Alabama is the leader, but Smith is from Louisiana and the Tigers are making a strong push. FSU was a bit too late here to convince Smith.

Prospect: B.J. Thompson, 3-star athlete
Commit time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Finalists: Baylor, FSU, Texas, Utah and Washington State
FSU got into the game pretty late and was starting to trend for Thompson. As expected, FSU was very honest on his official and let him know that it would take him if a spot were available. He visited Baylor after his FSU visit and Baylor began to trend. We’ll assume the logic here is that he is guaranteed a spot at FSU. We wouldn’t be entirely shocked if FSU pulls him if it misses on Ruggs, Smith and Farrell. We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out.
Jay’s Prediction: Baylor.
Clint’s Prediction: Baylor. Non-existent sources in England(, Arkansas) say that new head coach Matt Rhule locked up Thompson and that FSU might not have another spot for a project player.

Prospect: Marvin Wilson, 5-star DT
Commit time: 4 p.m. EST
Finalists: FSU, LSU, Oklahoma and Ohio State
This is the one we get asked about the most. Wilson said on Monday that he is down to two schools. It’s presumed that it is FSU and LSU. Here is the deal: the national guys who cover this say it is LSU. Everybody in FSU’s building thinks he will be a Seminole. Our source who knows the most about Texas recruits believes he will pick the Noles. Wilson’s brother and best friend prefer LSU, but his mother loves FSU defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins. Wilson has a special relationship with Haggins and former FSU defensive tackle Travis Johnson, who played for the Houston Texans. Sources say that FSU is a lock here. We understand the concern and intrigue surrounding Wilson, but we’re sticking with our sources on this one.
Jay’s Prediction: Marvin Wilson will be a Seminole.
Clint’s Prediction: LSU. There’s always a few recruits whose decisions are toss-ups before National Signing Day. Wilson is one of them, but FSU won’t be able to keep him away from Baton Rouge.