Watch: Mike Norvell opening statement for Orange Bowl press conference
Watch: FSU head coach Mike Norvell opening statement for Orange Bowl press conference
Florida State football hosted its first junior day of 2024, hosting roughly 30 players from the 2025 recruiting class on campus Saturday.
Head coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles are fresh off a 13-1 season, an ACC Championship and a top-10 recruiting class in 2023. To build on that, FSU hosted three 5-star 2025 recruits — receiver Jaime Ffrenchlinebacker Zayden Walker and edge Zion Grady.
The biggest name, potentially, is Ffrench, who is a teammate of current FSU commit and 4-star quarterback Tramell Jones at Mandarin High in Jacksonville.
Ffrench is fresh of his de-commitment from Alabama, following the retirement of legendary head coach Nick Saban.
“It’s only two hours up the street,” Ffrench said. “Also, they have my quarterback, Tramell Jones, committed right now. so it’s just hard to say no. They’re pulling really hard right now.”
Following his visit, Ffrench updated where FSU — which finished second to Alabama when he committed in July — stands in his recruitment now.
“I would say Florida State,” Ffrench said after his visit Saturday afternoon. “The tradition, the chemistry, the program, the people in the program. All of that plays a factor in recruiting, especially how they put the ball in the air.”
Ffrench is the No. 30 player in the country in the 2025 class, as well as the No. 4 receiver and No. 3 overall player in the state, per 247Sports.
He hauled in 62 passes for 1,247 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior, leading Mandarin to the 4M State Championship Game.
Despite his commitment, FSU never wavered in pursuing him.
“It’s been strong the whole way,” Ffrench said. “They never stopped, they never gave up on me. They made sure the main thing was the main thing that they wanted me here at Florida State. Their approach, it’s always here.”
Florida pursuing Tramell Jones, but Jones is locked in with FSU
Jones, who joined his teammate and continued to push him to join FSU’s class, has been committed to the Seminoles since April.
The 6-foot, 185-pound high school junior at Jacksonville Mandarin High choose FSU over offers from Florida, Miami and Virginia Tech among others.
His return to Tallahassee did nothing but reaffirm his commitment.
“It was a great trip today,” Jones said. “I just got to be more personal with [Quarterbacks] coach [Tony] Turner today, pretty much spent all my time here with him.
“Gotta get on the board with him a little bit, just football, the aspects of football, just teaching me how he teaches the quarterbacks here at FSU, just getting that personal feeling with him today.”
Jones said Florida head coach Billy Napier has been in heavy pursuit of him. He added a visit to Gainesville is in the works for next week, but not a done deal.
But that doesn’t change his status with the Seminoles.
“I’m locked in, for sure, 100 percent locked in, no doubt in my mind,” he said.
Why FSU?
“How much they want me, how much they truly care. You see, Coach Norvell came to our school for the first stop in January, the first stop as soon as he shut down that deal to go to Alabama. He was right here,” Jones said.
Jones then added a self-scouting report on what he can bring to Tallahassee, if he does sign with the Seminoles next December.
“I’m a very accurate passer,” Jones said. “I haven’t really run throughout my high school career like that, but I think I’ll really add that element to my game this year.
“Some things I can work on are staying in the pocket a little longer and being able to throw an accurate ball across the middle of the field, but that’s just something that comes with repetition.”
Zayden Walker names FSU leader of his top 3
Norvell and his staff have shown no aversion to going up against the top programs to recruit the top players in the nation. The Seminoles will have again to battle Kirby Smart and Georgia for the services of another 5-star recruit, this time one from Georgia in Walker.
From Schley County High in Ellaville, Georgia, Walker is the No. 7 overall player in the 2025 class and the No. 1 linebacker in the country.
Linebackers coach Randy Shannon has made quite the impression on the 6-foot-3, 220-pound star recruit.
“It’s always a great visit every time I come. It’s perfect,” Walker said of his trip. “Coach Shannon was showing me how he’s gonna use me as a more versatile player than I am in high school.”
The No. 1 linebacker in the Class of 2025 will visit Miami next weekend and a decision should come time during the summer, ahead of his senior season.
FSU will remain high on the list, along with the Bulldogs when he does decide.
“It went great, as always,” Walker said. “It’s always a great visit down here. Every time I come it’s perfect.”
Jalen Wiggins update
Fresh off a visit and commitment to rival Florida last weekend, Jalen Wiggins returned to his hometown school of Florida State on Saturday.
The 6-foot-4.5, 245-pound defensive lineman is a standout at Rickards High in Tallahassee. He is rated the No. 56 overall player in 2024 and the fifth-best DL, per 247Sports.
Wiggins, who has previously said he grew up a Gators fan, committed to his childhood favorite team on Monday.
[Florida State] wanted to talk with me, this was a chance for me to come before the dead period,” Wiggins told Noles247 and other media in a post-visit interview about why he visited FSU despite committing to UF.
“I just wanted to come back, I know it’s been a while since I’ve talked with them. They also came to talk to me yesterday at school. They wanted me to come back and experience the vibe of how Florida State is.”
Wiggins recorded 97 total tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 37 QB hurries, a fumble recovery and forced two fumbles during his junior season, earning All-Big Bend first-team honors from the Democrat.
He said that special teams coordinator and defensive end coach John Papuchis has been his main recruiter.
“They have always been close on me,” Wiggins said of the FSU staff on recruiting him. “Just being here from Tallahassee, they are always telling me ‘You’re not going anywhere else.’
“That’s the one thing they keep pressuring me on, just Tallahassee and even Florida State is home. They want me to stay here and be a legend.”
Wiggins said he is visiting UCF on Friday and then will be in Coral Gables for a visit to Miami on Saturday. He added he wants to set up a visit to Stanford, but has not have any dates in mind yet.
Florida State 2025 recruiting class
Below are the four recruits currently committed to Florida State’s 2025 class, along with their ranking on 247Sports Composite.
Quarterback
4-star Tramell Jones Jr. – Mandarin High – Jacksonville – No. 26 quarterback, No. 335 overall
Offensive lineman
5-star Solomon Thomas – Raines High – Jacksonville – No. 1 inside offensive lineman, No. 18 overall
Linebacker
4-star Ethan Prichard – Seminole High – Sanford – No. 30 linebacker, No. 302 overall
Defensive line
4-star Javion Hilson – Coca High – Coca – No. 7 edge, No. 47 overall
Reach Ehsan Kassim at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).
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2024-01-22 17:21:51
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