FSU Commitment Analysis: Christian Meadows and Amari Gainer

After falling all the way to 64th, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Florida State again has a top 25 recruiting class at No. 22.

The Seminoles saw a slew of commitments defect following former head coach Jimbo Fisher doing likewise for Texas A&M in December. Two of the longest “tenured” commitments for FSU are 4-star guard Christian Meadows, who committed in July 2016 and 4-star linebacker Amari Gainer, an FSU legacy, who committed in May.

With the final day to declare for the NFL Draft having past, we’ll begin examining FSU’s commitments, what they bring to the table and how they fit for head coach Willie Taggart and the Seminoles moving forward:

Christian Meadows, G

The longest tenured member of what social media users refer to as #Tribe18, tackle Christian Meadows is an imposing figure at 6-foot-3 and 330 pounds. From Macon County in Georgia, Meadows is the No. 265 overall prospect, according to the composite, and the 11th best tackle. He did not sign during the early signing period last month.

What he brings: Meadows stands to have a very prosperous career in Tallahassee. Meadows explodes off the ball, moves well for a young man his size and finishes plays. An athletic 330 pounds, Meadows does a good job getting to the next level and does a good job maintaining control when pulling, which allows him to make his block.

Meadows is very strong and moves defenders with relative ease. The one issue with that is that Meadows doesn’t always get the leverage he needs, which was fine at the high school level, but can be problematic as he faces bigger and stronger competition on a FBS and Power 5 stage.

Meadows has a high football IQ and is versatile with the ability to play either guard or tackle. Despite being able to play tackle, his skill set does translate best to the inside.

How he fits: Meadows will probably take a redshirt in 2018, but Florida State has five offensive linemen that are set to be seniors in 2018. Aside from those, guards Cole Minshew and Landon Dickerson will also be draft-eligible following the year.

Given Dickerson’s injury issues, a strong and healthy 2018 could provide incentive for him to make the jump. Aside from the five seniors-to-be and the two guards mentioned, tackle Josh Ball is the only other FSU offensive lineman with any real meaningful snaps. That is obviously subject to change in 2018, but as it stands, few Seminoles will have a real game experience edge over Meadows come 2019.

Meadows’ ability to play either guard or tackle should also help immensely. Meadows probably could have benefited from enrolling early, but expect him to push for playing time and perhaps a starting spot as early as 2019.

Amari Gainer, LB

The son of former FSU receiver Herb Gainer, Amari Gainer is already enrolled in Tallahassee. The described “bell cow” of the 2018 class, the 4-star Gainer is listed at 6-3 and nearly 205 pounds. According to the composite, the Tallahassee native is the No. 272 overall prospect for 2018 and the 18th best outside linebacker.

What he brings: The son of a former player, it’s not surprising that Gainer has a high football IQ. Perhaps Gainer’s biggest strength is as a blitzer. Gainer’s technique is extremely sound and he does a tremendous job tackling, taking ball-carriers down by the legs, which helps eliminate missed tackles and yards after contact.

Gainer has a high motor and is an instinctive player with good athleticism. At 6-3, Gainer uses his long frame to scrape the outside and tackle out in space. One thing Gainer would be best served to do is to add weight and strength in his upper body. If used as a traditional linebacker, Gainer will also need to grow more comfortable out in coverage.

How he fits: Florida State will be replacing three seniors in Jacob Pugh, Matthew Thomas and Ro’Derrick Hoskins, making playing time at linebacker wide open. With a few added pounds, Gainer would have perhaps been a good fit at the “BUCK” position, but it looks like new defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett will use more traditional defensive ends.

That being said, Adonis Thomas, Dontavious Jackson, Leonard Warner and Emmett Rice have all seen meaningful reps, but there was little separation among those players. Gainer, who has a skill set similar to soon-to-be junior Josh Brown, is unlikely to be a starter for the Labor Day contest against Virginia Tech, but don’t be surprised if he is an instant contributor.

By enrolling early, Gainer will get to learn Barnett’s scheme at the same time as his new teammates. If he picks things up quickly, adds muscle and has a productive spring, Gainer stands a chance to be a regular contributor for the Florida State defense in 2018.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson