Florida State’s recruiting class grew by two members on Sunday as the Seminoles addressed a need with the addition of a second defensive end before bringing on a local long snapper. 3-star end Tre Lawson and long snapper Grant Glennon are both high school seniors, but Glennon will get a grayshirt, meaning he won’t join the team until 2018.
Lawson joins 5-star Joshua Kaindoh as defensive ends to become part of Florida State’s 2017 class. Lawson was the 20th overall recruit for the class while Glennon became the 21st. We look at how each will impact FSU:
Tre Lawson, DE
At 6-6 and about 250 pounds, Lawson is a lanky prospect from North Augusta, South Carolina who probably isn’t done growing into his body. A former Tennessee commitment, Lawson is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 730 overall prospect for 2017 and the 35th best strongside defensive end.
What he brings: Lawson is an intense player with a high motor, who uses his long arms well to make tackles and bat down passes. Lawson is a very good athlete, who seems to shed blocks with ease and has very good instincts. Lawson is quick off the ball and also seems to do an admirable job of setting the edge.
For being less than 250 pounds, Lawson seems to have pretty good upper-body strength, but could stand to add some muscle in his lower body and some weight. Another area for Lawson to work on is leverage. Lawson sometimes comes too high out of his stance, which isn’t uncommon for young defensive linemen who happen to be tall. Playing against inferior athletes in high school, it isn’t a problem, but it would be at the next level.
How he fits: Projecting exactly how Lawson fits next season is a little tough at this point, because it’s uncertain how defensive coordinator Charles Kelly will align his defense. The prevailing thought seems to be that soon-to-be junior Josh Sweat will move over from his “BUCK” spot to take over for graduating DeMarcus Walker on the strong side. Once Lawson fills out, he’ll also be a strongside end.
If Sweat makes the transition next season, other bodies to see time there could include Janarius Robinson, veteran Keith Bryant and converted tight end Jalen Wilkerson. With none of the latter three having any meaningful experience, Lawson’s role is wide-ranging from some reserve time as early as next season to a redshirt. Kaindoh, a fellow incoming freshman, will probably be used at the “BUCK” position to begin his career, but could also evolve into a traditional end.
Both Robinson and Kaindoh have more upside, but it’s possible that Lawson could compete for meaningful reps as early as 2018. Depending on how things shake out, Lawson’s best chance to push for a starting spot will come in 2019 at the earliest, but more likely, 2020.
Grant Glennon, LS
A 6-3, 220-pound prospect out of Tallahassee, Glennon is unranked by 247Sports’ Composite, but was an Under Armour All-American as a long snapper. Glennon will join the team for the 2018 season.
What he brings: There isn’t much tape on Glennon nor is there much to analyze, but the fact that he was ranked as a 5-star prospect by Kohl’s Kicking shows that he’s good at what he does.
How he fits: Glennon won’t arrive on campus until 2018, but when he does, he’ll be the heir-apparent to replace 4-year starter Stephen Gabbard at the position.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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