FSU Recruiting: Calm Down and Let Taggart Get to Work

The 2018 Florida State recruiting class has now reached double digit decommitments, with the latest being 2018 running back Charles Strong. Strong was a longtime Florida State commit who seemed to have a genuine love for FSU, but the recent coaching change meant that he wasn’t sure the school was the best fit for his talents.

He probably made the right decision. Strong projects as a fullback at the next level, and head coach Willie Taggart’s offense over the past couple of years gradually moved away from the position.

That does little to calm the worry-warts who are witnessing a near collapse of the Seminoles’ recruiting class. With a national ranking of 47th for 2018, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, and conference ranking of 10th, some fans are beginning to wonder if this will be a “lost” effort so to speak.

Here’s what needs to be said: Calm down and let Taggart do work on the recruiting trail.

Any time a coach leaves, there’s going to be some natural attrition. Players like Strong have certain skill sets that are not compatible with what the new coaching staff wants to do. It only makes sense that they start looking around and move on from their previous commitment to a different offense/defense.

There’s also players who simply don’t like the uncertainty. If you were about to spend the next three or four years of your life somewhere with a team, and the coaches of said team decided to leave somewhere else, and you were unsure of whether or not you’d fit best at the old location, would you remain completely committed?

Obviously, there are recruits like Anthony Lytton or Amari Gainer who value FSU above all else. That’s great to hear and it shows strong loyalty on their part. But the reality is that such drastic changes can dramatically affect a kid’s future. There’s nothing wrong with stepping back and reconsidering your commitment.

So the 11 decommitments are not the end of the world for the recruiting classes. Some of them were going to happen regardless of whether or not Jimbo Fisher was staying or leaving. Many of them are necessary in order to give Taggart and company a clean slate to work from.

Early returns from Taggart on the recruiting trail are pointing towards a strong rebound in the coming months. In addition to adding former Miami Central coach Telly Lockette to the staff, Florida State is reinserting itself back on the trail.

Warren Thompson and Isaiah Bolden are the two names nearly everyone is penciling in for Florida State. Thompson is a 4-star wide receiver from powerhouse Seffner Armwood, who was considered an FSU lean before Taggart got him to commit to Oregon. His friend Bolden is a 4-star cornerback who was an FSU commit at one point.

Both are overwhelmingly picked to go to FSU now that Taggart has been hired. Wide receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey has been maligned for his Tampa area recruiting woes, so getting a commit from Thompson would go a long way towards breaking that trend.

4-star defensive end Malcolm Lamar is another name to watch. He goes to the same school as Thompson and received an in-house visit from Taggart a week ago. He also made an official visit to Florida State on Dec. 15. The Seminoles are attempting to make up lost ground here, so Lamar is less likely to join the class, but he is still considered a strong possibility.

There’s also decommitted players who are likely going to recommit once Taggart talks it over with them and begins to make his hires. Players like 4-star wide receiver Marquez Ezzard and 4-star running back Jashaun Corbin already had close relationships with Taggart before his hiring. They just need assurance that the school is still a fit for them.

Recent news has also centered around Tampa Bay Tech quarterback Michael Penix. Florida State is likely out of the running for any of the big name recruits like Justin Fields or Emory Jones. That’s not saying Taggart and staff will give up on them, but they simply aren’t realistic at this point.

Enter someone like Penix. Just three days after receiving an FSU offer, Penix decommitted from Tennessee and is trending towards the Seminoles. He’s a 3-star pro-style who needs a specific system to thrive in.

Could Taggart’s offense be just that? Maybe. Penix has decent physical tools, but he’s going to need a year or two of development before he’s ready to compete. Right now, he is more of a depth option than anything.

The 2017 season showed why players like that are necessary for even the most talented teams. Taggart will start going after higher ranked quarterbacks for the 2019 cycle.

Friday night was ablaze with news about FSU recruiting, as a slurry of updates occurred with who was checking out Tallahassee. 4-star safety Jaiden Woodbey, 4-star running back James Cook — a former FSU commit and Miami Central product — and 4-star cornerback Brendan Radley-Hiles were all confirmed by various reporters to be visiting Florida State.

Some have wondered how the early signing day from Dec. 20-22 will impact the class. That’s part of a broader question regarding the new signing day entirely.

Right now, the answer is simply murky. Within a week, the college football world will get its first look at how the new date impacts recruiting. Some have argued that it will fundamentally change how schools go about securing commitments and how athletes treat the process. Others counter that the top recruits will still have their choice of where to go.

It’s more likely to impact prospects that are lower rated or not yet discovered by bigger programs, because they will likely be pressured to sign early. How many of those Taggart intends to bring into the 2018 class remains to be seen.

Florida State will always have certain advantages in recruiting. Despite the coaching turmoil and bad season, the Seminoles are on the right track to once again dominating the trail under Taggart.