FSU Continues to Dominate In-State Rivals on Recruiting Trail

Florida State fans should be accustomed to top 10 recruiting classes, and National Signing Day 2017 was no different. The good news came early in the morning when the Seminoles were able to secure a commitment from highly-rated linebacker Leonard Warner.

As the day moved on, Florida State did strike out on some of its main targets, with players like Henry Ruggs III and Levi Jones choosing to go elsewhere. The day ended with a bang however, as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the nation in Texas prospect Marvin Wilson unveiled Florida State gear to announce his commitment to the Seminoles.

When it was all said and done, FSU had finished with the No. 6 class in the nation and the No. 1 class in the ACC. Another impressive stat is that seven total players in the top 100 of the 247Sports Composite rankings pledged their services to Florida State.

Recruiting continues to be one of the most important factors in fielding a competitive team. As of 2016, there were 13 teams who met the ratio needed to have a chance at the national championship. On that list? Florida State. Not on that list? Florida and Miami.

The “Big 3” schools in the state of Florida have combined success that few other states can replicate. They are in constant recruiting battles with each other, and the relevancy to Florida State is more than the other two. That’s largely because the Seminoles are the only team of the three that plays the other two every year. It seems fitting that fans should also keep track of how their rivals are doing on the recruiting trail. So how does it look for each team?

The Hurricanes have begun to rebound a bit on the recruiting trail. Acquiring talent was never the problem for soon-to-be second-year head coach Mark Richt, and he seems to have brought his sales pitch to Miami fairly successfully.

The Hurricanes have risen a bit in the rankings ever since Al Golden departed, now finishing at 13th nationally, compared to their 26th overall mark in the 2015 cycle (Golden’s last full year). They pulled off some impressive hauls this year, including players like Kai-Leon Herbert, a 4-star tackle and 4-star receiver Jeff Thomas.

That being said, they still do not have an especially good blue chip ratio, only coming in at 41 percent in this class. That’s not enough to seriously contend for a national championship (and maybe not an ACC championship). However, they do have an easy schedule for 2017, and the momentum combined with a potential 10-win season could help Miami get its best class in five years. Richt is still in the building stages of his program, so another year will be needed to assess whether or not his recruiting is putting Miami on the right track.

Florida is an interesting case. Earlier last week, it seemed like the sky was falling for many Gator fans. The Gators simultaneously got beat out by Miami for Herbert and witnessed a decommitment from one of their top prospects in Elijah Blades. For a day or two, it really did seem like Florida was going to bottom out of the top 25.

Thankfully for head coach Jim McElwain, he regrouped and closed out National Signing Day with a good class. Florida finished at 10th nationally and a respectable 45 percent blue-chip ratio.

That’s not to say that Florida fans should cast away all concerns. The 2017 class had a real chance to be a landmark year for McElwain, after it opened up certain positions on the staff and were predicted to land elite recruiters.

That never happened. Florida had a great close this year, but it’s still a question of how high it would have gone if it had been able to shore up a couple more elite prospects. Regardless of one’s belief, McElwain really needed this class to be good. He got that.

Now, it’s just a question of if he can keep it up and not let the rest of the SEC East catch up. The Gators won the division in back-to-back years, yet Georgia finished above them on the recruiting trail. That is something worth keeping an eye on in the next year.

Where does Florida State find itself in all this? Atop both teams. For the past three classes, FSU has not finished lower than sixth in the national rankings, and have been in the top 5 two times. Its blue-chip ratio also did not go lower than 50 percent in any class, which would be the highest for either Florida or Miami in any of the past three years. Quite simply, FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher and company have secured a talent pipeline that the others are struggling to.

While it is not a direct correlation, the team with the most talent typically wins the game. So it should not come as a surprise that Florida State has not lost to either Miami or Florida since the 2012 season. Of course, this piece could be (and in some form has been) written over the past few years.

So why keep bringing it up?

Because college football is usually cyclical, and the indicators of a decline in one program are evident a couple years before it actually happens. So far, under Richt and McElwain, there have been no indicators in a shift within Florida. FSU continues to have the most success and continues to bring in the best talent.

That doesn’t make it impossible for FSU to lose to one of its two biggest rivals, but it makes the task that more difficult. The Seminoles are set to dominate the state for at least two more years at the current pace.

Really, the only threat to FSU among schools it plays regularly is Clemson, who has now brought in back-to-back classes with 50 percent or more blue chips. That trend will continue as long as the Tigers are in national contention. The championship victory over Alabama helps that cause.

Either way you slice it, the gap between FSU and its in-state rivals got a little bigger on Wednesday. The Seminoles maintained their draw of talent and added much needed depth to multiple positions. They continue to have a firm edge over the competition and it looks like it will stay that way in the foreseeable future. For Fisher and company, that is business as usual.