Those familiar with recruiting knew that new Florida State head coach Willie Taggart was fighting an uphill battle during the early signing period. After a tough day, the Seminoles caught a nice bit of good news to close the evening.
5-star safety and longtime Ohio State commit Jaiden Woodbey announced Wednesday night that he would sign with the Florida State Seminoles, becoming Taggart’s first commitment. The Fontana, California prospect flipping to FSU is a huge surprise, considering where he stood just more than a week ago.
The story of how Woodbey got his FSU offer is an odd one; he publicly tweeted on Dec. 12 that he was not considering FSU because it never offered him. Taggart caught wind and immediately offered him, as well as convincing him to take an official visit on Dec. 16.
As a prospect, Woodbey is ranked the second best safety recruit and 27th overall recruit, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. He’s a hard-hitting player who could conceivably switch to linebacker if the defense chooses to utilize him in that role. His general athleticism means he has an opportunity to thrive at both spots.
Woodbey is now the highest-rated recruit for the 2018 FSU class. He is also the lone safety committed. After falling to 64th earlier in the day, the addition of Woodbey brings the Seminoles up to 44th, according to the Composite, and could breathe new life into the 2018 class. The class also moves from last to seventh in the ACC, per the Composite.
Former head coach Jimbo Fisher had essentially stopped recruiting the month prior to his departure. Adding this to the disappointing season meant that the 2018 class would begin a slow decline. Decommitments started coming in from players that many had assumed were intent on FSU.
Since Nov. 29, 10 of the 18 committed members of FSU’s class had decommitted, including linebacker Rosendo Louis, who flipped to South Carolina on Wednesday.
Taggart had to come in and try to salvage the class in early December. That’s what it is — salvaging. He said so in his introductory press conference.
The day didn’t get off to a great start on Wednesday as 4-star running back James Cook, the younger brother of FSU all-time leading rusher Dalvin Cook, announced he would be sticking to his Georgia commitment. 4-star quarterback Emory Jones, who the Seminoles made a strong late push for, signed with rival Florida prior to the Louis flip.
After a rough month on the recruiting trail, the addition of Woodbey could serve as a huge jump-starter for Taggart as he continues to assemble a coaching staff. The Seminoles also had three prior commitments — 4-star defensive tackle Robert Cooper, 4-star linebacker Amari Gainer and 3-star tackle Christian Armstrong — sign letters of intent on Wednesday.
The early signing period lasts through Friday, so FSU could build upon a nice finish to an otherwise frustrating Wednesday. If nothing else comes of the early signing period, the Seminoles at least have their first 5-star.
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