FSU Recruiting: National Signing Day Predictions

One of the biggest days in college football begins bright and early Wednesday morning. National Signing Day 2018 is finally here, albeit with some changes due to the earlier signing period.

It might not be the grandiose event of years past, but Florida State is set to receive word on a number of high profile prospects its going after.

The Daily Nole has attempted to keep you updated on recruiting with both of our recent podcasts and various articles. Now, with signing day on the horizon, we give our predictions for where Florida State’s top targets will land. Lead writer Clint Eiland and editor Mike Ferguson join the discussion.

James Foster (4-star QB)

Clint: FSU – Recent reports suggest that Alabama is not entirely confident about Foster. That leaves LSU and FSU to battle it out for the 4-star quarterback prospect. The Seminoles got his last visit, and head coach Willie Taggart has done a great job of showing Foster how he could excel in his offense. This battle has been trending FSU for weeks, and I think it will culminate with Foster committing to the Seminoles.

Mike: FSU – Foster has been clearly trending toward the Seminoles since his recent visit. This prediction however, is made with little confidence. LSU is very much in the mix and it’s tough to bet against home-state and childhood team Alabama on National Signing Day, despite recent reports.

Malcolm Lamar (4-star DE)

Clint: FSU – A couple weeks ago, I said that Malcolm Lamar’s recruitment was too close to call. He grew up a Florida Gator fan, would be a good fit in their new defense, and didn’t have much interest in Florida State before Taggart got hired. It also looked like he was not going to take an unofficial visit on Feb. 2, leaving many to wonder if Florida had been able to pry him away from the Seminoles. A late development revealed that Lamar did end up taking the unofficial visit with his teammates, which is a decent sign that he’s invested in Taggart as a coach. Ultimately, I think that his strong connection with the head coach convinces him to sign with Florida State.

Mike: FSU – It looked for a while as if Florida was going to be able to flip the blue-chip defensive end. After making a last-minute unofficial visit to Tallahassee over the weekend, it’s looking more and more like Lamar will join teammate Warren Thompson at Florida State.

Tre’Shaun Harrison (4-star ATH)

Clint: FSU – Pretty much all movement on Tre’Shaun Harrison has been towards the Seminoles. He immediately became interested in Florida State when Taggart was hired, and eventually arrived on campus for the Feb. 2 official visit. He’s another player that could find great success in the Power Coast offense and would be firm to Taggart wherever he went. While Oregon and Utah made strong pushes, Harrison likes his opportunities in Tallahassee the most.

Mike: FSU – If there is one player the Seminoles should feel good about their chances with on National Signing Day, it’s Harrison.

Jordan Young (3-star WR)

Clint: FSU – As recent as Monday, I thought that Jordan Young would remain firm to the Tennessee Volunteers. However, after speaking with someone relatively close to the staff, I do get the sense that they are confident Young will join the class. Is it a 100 percent lock? Of course not, because it all boils down to personal decisions that few have true insight on. But given what we know about Young taking the visit, Tennessee offering other wide receivers, and murmurs in the program, it does seem to be in Florida State’s favor.

Mike: FSU – The late push from Coach Willie Taggart and company looks as though it will be enough for Young to make Tallahassee his “abusement” park. Confidence on this one however, is rocky like the “Top” which plays after scores by FSU’s biggest competition for Young.

James Miller (3-star LB)

Clint: FSU – The only thing that would prevent Miller from joining the class are potential grade concerns that popped up when he was first offered. Other than that, Miller seems to be all-in with Florida State. FSU even got his last visit with a couple of teammates to help secure his commitment. Miller will be a Seminole barring a stunning turn of events.

Mike: FSU – Not only will Taggart end the vaunted “Armwood curse”, he’ll end it times three.

Anthony Grant (3-star RB)

Clint: Tennessee – Of all the players on this list, Anthony Grant is the most surprising and thus hardest to get much clear info on. Obviously the staff felt they had a shot at flipping him, but it’s hard to see why he would be a take at this point in the process. It won’t matter in the end though, because Grant is probably not going to FSU.

Mike: Virginia Tech – Anthony Grant may be the hardest prospect on here to predict, but come Wednesday, I think he’ll choose the Hokies after their late pressure on him.

Jamarcus Chatman (3-star DE)

Clint: Miami – The Seminoles actually felt good about their chances with Chatman after his official visit on Jan. 26. By all accounts, he loved it and was seriously considering FSU from there on out. However, Miami made a very strong push and received his final official visit. Everything out of Coral Gables says that Chatman will sign with the Hurricanes on Wednesday.

Mike: Miami – As “blown away” as Chatman was on his official visit to Florida State, his heart has always been with Miami. When he left Tallahassee without committing, that was a pretty good sign he’d be playing further south.