Four FSU football newcomers are expected to meet with the media on Wednesday morning. We’ll have updates in the thread below:

RB Jaylin Lucas (Houma, La./Indiana)

DL Marvin Jones Jr. (Coral Gables, Fla./Georgia)

DL Sione Lolohea (Houma Tukulalo Vava’u, Tonga/Oregon State)

RB Kam Davis (Albany, Ga./Dougherty High School)

Leonard Hamilton has lamented Florida State’s consistency throughout the season, and he reiterated that on Monday: “We’ve been consistently inconsistent.”

This point goes beyond the struggles of December (2-4) to the highs of January (6-2) and now a frustrating loss to the ACC’s worst team, 101-92 at Louisville on Saturday. But when asked by the Osceola about leadership and particularly which players’ voices and actions were evident in difficult moments, Hamilton didn’t hold back.

“We have not had that type of leadership that we really feel like we needed basically the entire year,” Hamilton said. “We have a bunch of guys on the team that they’re laid-back guys, their personalities are somewhat quiet. We have struggled with identifying who those leaders are. For the most part, as a staff, we’ve been trying to be the leaders.

“Leaders have not emerged to the point where I feel like one particular person seems to be the personality that drives the team.”

The FSU softball team begins its 2024 season tomorrow with a lot of returning production and a consensus top-five ranking. Here are three questions this FSU team will need to answer this season.

Visit our friends at Alumni Hall for a 20 percent discount on Feb. 7 only and get your loved one a Valentine's Day gift.

Alumni Hall 20 percent discount

Is it true that our Doak will only hold 50.000 seats this season due to construction?

This can be appealed, of course, but developing story this evening:

On Monday, the National Labor Relations Board issued a landmark ruling that could shatter the NCAA’s amateurism model. Dartmouth men’s basketball players are considered university employees under U.S. labor law—and therefore are eligible to unionize.

“Because Dartmouth has the right to control the work performed by the Dartmouth men’s basketball team, and the players perform that work in exchange for compensation, I find that the petitioned-for basketball players are employees within the meaning of the [National Labor Relations] Act,” the 26-page decision read.

FSU 63 BC 62 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


The Good

The now 13-9, 7-4 Seminoles end a two game losing streak and picks up a big road win against a team that is not easy to beat. It also marks the first win at Conte Forum since January, 2016. The Eagles (not to be confused with The Eagles) trailed by 15 points, 19-4, just over six minutes into the game. But Boston College has experience this season dealing with double digit deficits coming back to win five times when trailing by ten or more. But it was not to be this day. Or night actually in this case. Oh, and coming into the game, BC was 1-7 when trailing with less than five minutes to play. Make that 1-8 as FSU led 59-54 with 4:58 to play.

Just your typical ACC blowout victory as Leonard Hamilton would say.

In games decided by six points or less, FSU is 6-2.

FSU never trailed in the game. BC made a game of it though and tied it at 52 on a Quintin Post three pointer. The Seminoles built a 61-56 lead and then held off the Eagles at the end. Trailing 63-62, BC had 10.1 seconds to work with. FSU had a foul to give leaving just over 5 seconds on the game clock. The FSU defense rose to the occasion once again with Jamir Watkins and Cameron Corhen applying the pressure on the BC player who never got the shot off. Despite making some poor decisions in the final minutes as Hamilton commented post game, the mental focus and effort was far better than the game against Louisville.

And speaking of defense, FSU forced BC into 15 turnovers that included 13 steals, far above the 'Noles' average per game. From that, the Seminoles scored 19 points, everyone one of the needed. Additionally the defense did not allow BC to score its first basket of the game until the 16:21 mark.

The Bench. Outscored the Eagles 30-23, everyone of them needed. And out of that bench bunch Taylor Bol Bowen had his best game as an FSU player. In his 16 minutes on the floor, he contributed in every category you can scoring a season high 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 monster blocked shot. Oh, and I have to give him credit for hitting his one three point attempt. As we know, he does not make them very often. His three from the right wing gave FSU that 19-4 lead. And right after that, he stole the BC inbound pass and immediately headed for the basket and the lay up.

Plays of the game: Clearly THE play of the game (other than the defensive stop mentioned earlier) Jalen Warley driving the lane and laying the ball in under Post's attempted block of the shot. It turned out to be the winning basket. Primo Spears with the knock away picked up by Bol Bowen who dribbles the length of the floor under the BC basket kicking the ball out to Josh Nickelberry for the three, 14-2. Warley with the spinning floater, 44-39. Warley again this time taking the defensive rebound coast to coast, 46-39. Nickelberry with the jumper from the FT line before the shot clock sounds, 48-41. What looked like a sure basket by Jaeden Zackery was emphatically swatted away by Bol Bowen who hustled back to make the play. Bol Bowen again with the steal getting the ball to Corhen, 54-52. Darin Green with the important three pointer to start the pull away from BC, 57-54. Spears on the break driving to the rim finding Watkins coming down the lane for the slam dunk, 59-54.

Sam Cassell for stepping in at the start of the second half for an interview with Jeff Culhane. It was great hearing Sam recollect the days when the Tobacco Road teams trashed the Seminoles entrance into ACC basketball picking FSU to finish last.


The Bad

The start to the second half when FSU had numerous shots in and around the basket that would not go down. Meanwhile BC was making its shots.

Yeah Mr. Referee, that was just an accidental slap to De'Ante Green's face by Post. Clearly Post didn't mean it. Riiiiiiiight.

OK, we know the guy is a good player. But the defense of De'Ante Green, Baba Miller, and Bol Bowen failed in holding down Post who had 21 points and 12 rebounds. FSU has a problem with defense around the rim and has to find a way to stop that.


The Ugly

The play of Spears. Aside from the 3 assists, it was dreadful tonight. He finished with zero points on 0-6 shooting and his decision making was questionable at best. For example, he got the ball in the right corner and then tried to do too much resulting in a turnover. On that possession he was unable to keep a big man (Post) from driving past him for the lay up. There was also the decision to kick the ball over to Warley in the right corner to take the three. Not exactly the guy you want taking the three. Apparently the play was supposed to go to the other side where the FSU shooters were, but Spears did not see that instruction from the bench or ignored it.

It is always ugly when you see a pass sail out of bounds with nary a teammate nearby as was the case with Darin Green's pass to the near sideline. That's OK though. BC's Devin McGlockton had his own "who was that pass to?" moment earlier in the game. So I guess they offset.

There are 10.1 seconds left in the game. Your team is up by one point. You have a player at the FT line. Three outcomes are possible. 1. You make both freebies (the best option). 2. You make the front end of the 1 and 1 (not the best outcome, but acceptable). 3. You miss the front end and get no points or offensive rebound and your opponent has one last chance to win the game (the worst of all the options). If you picked option #3 as the outcome of the play that actually occurred ... YOU "WIN". Darin Green I hope gave a big "thanks" after the final buzzer sounded to Corhen and Watkins. Talk about devastating losses had BC gotten a shot off that found the bottom of the net.


Up Next

With the games left on the schedule, FSU has been ranked with the 30th most difficult schedule remaining. That starts next Saturday night at 8 PM against Virginia (18-5, 9-3) who is currently second in the ACC standings. When we last saw UVa, the Cavaliers were busy making mincemeat last night out of the Miami offense destroying the Hurricanes 60-38, a program low in points scored. It was the Cavs 7th consecutive victory. The Seminoles are 3-1 this decade vs Virginia. The game with be aired on the CW Network.

FSU (12-9, 6-4 ACC) looks to bounce back from a road loss to Louisville when the Seminoles play host to Boston College (13-8, 4-6) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network with Jon Meterparel on the play-by-play and Malcolm Huckaby as the analyst.

Jalen Warley matched his career-best with 23 points in the loss at Louisville. He made his first eight shots from the floor.

FSU had 11 steals against the Cardinals and continue to lead the league in that category.

Jamir Watkins is one steal from 100 in his career. He has 35 steals at FSU, which is tied with Darin Green Jr. for the team lead this season. Watkins also leads FSU in points (13.9), rebounds (5.8) and assists (2.8).

FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said on Monday's ACC coaches zoom that Chandler Jackson is a game-time decision. He has made the trip to BC. Safe to say Chandler is in the doghouse, and the question remains for how long.

Watch out for Quinten Post of BC. He is averaging 16.2 points and 76 rebounds. Post had 21 points against FSU in Feb. 2023.

Our preview story from Monday afternoon: Hamilton is frustrated with FSU's lack of leadership this season

Your referee tonight is Ted Valentine. Congrats to all of us.

Want to be sure we keep you up to date on the legal machinations in case you missed it.
Yahoo Sports ran a story from the Nashville Tennesseean reporting that A federal judge denied a requested temporary restraining order Tuesday from the states of Tennessee and Virginia in their quest to pause NCAA rules regarding name, image and likeness benefits for college athletes.

The Tennessean reported that same judge will hear arguments for a lengthier preliminary injunction in a Greeneville, Tennessee courtroom Feb. 13.


Federal judge denies Tennessee NIL restraining order

We talked to FSU softball coach Lonni Alameda and freshmen Isa Torres and Ashtyn Danley after Tuesday's practice. They talked about their excitement for the 2024 season getting underway this weekend, the JoAnne Graf Classic and much more.

Here's video of the interview with Alameda: Login to view embedded media
And here's video of the interview with the freshmen: Login to view embedded media
They play five games this weekend, the first of which is Thursday at 6 p.m. vs. Charlotte. We'll have a season preview article running tomorrow addressing some questions about the team entering the season.

Time for another dose of Summit's koolaid.

I believe Norvell wants to play physical football. I think he has done the best he could with his roster, and continues to try to build size and strength as quickly as he can. You could see in his playcalling that he knew they just would not be able to out physical many teams, and I think that is a testament to him for working with what he had.

Add Kam Davis and DJ Ukelele.

I also believe his options at OL will be the biggest and most physical since he has set foot on campus.

The addition of that physicality will do wonders for this offense, and open up so many plays on the slants, quick outs, and QB options.

Buckle up FSU fans, I think this years offense will be Norvell's best, even without some of the stars we have lost from last year's team.

Florida State (12-8, 6-3 ACC) travels to Louisville (6-15, 1-9 ACC) for a game Saturday at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network with Mike Monaco doing the play by play and Randolph Childress as analyst.

The Seminoles are seeking a fourth straight ACC road win following a bye week. They defeated Notre Dame, Miami and Syracuse in January.

Louisville has lost six straight games following an upset at Miami on Jan. 10. The Cardinals have struggled and is 192 in KenPom, the worst of the ACC schools. FSU is near the top of the ACC standings but is toward the bottom of the ACC teams in KenPom’s rankings at 73rd.

FSU has won seven of its last eight games against Louisville.

Josh Nickelberry played at Louisville from 2019-21 before transferring to LaSalle, where he was the Atlantic 10 sixth man of the year and graduated in May. Nickelberry has come off the bench at FSU and averaged 3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 20 games.

The Seminoles average 9.3 steals per game, just .1 off the school record from 2002-03. Jamir Watkins is three steals away from 100 for his career (he has 31 at FSU).

FSU will have 10 regular-season games left following Saturday, including two against BC (rated No. 87 by KenPom). FSU will play at BC on Tuesday followed by Virginia on Saturday.

I have listened to quite a few saying we may lose this game next year. I know it is the week before Clemson and all so, potentially a trap game.
Also they went 11 and 3 last year but, all 11 of their wins were against either conference opponents or nobody's out of conference. The only 3 legit teams they played TCU, OU and BC they lost to.
Are they returning everyone?

The Big Ten and SEC have formed a joint advisory group to "address the significant challenges facing college athletics" the conferences announced on friday.

The two conferences -- informally known as the Big2 -- may be the first step in formalizing arelationship between the two conferences with the wealthiest television contracts with FOX and ESPN, contracts which provide their member institutions with $30 million to $40 million per school more that the ACC or Big 12 schools receive.

What motivated formal talks between the two conference?

My hunch is the most recent anti-trust law suit House v the NCAA in which current and past student-athletes are demanding a share of television revenues.

This and past anti-trust losses have the attention of both SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and BIg 10 commissioner Petitti not to mention a myriad of state laws pertaining to NIL or NCAA director Charlie Baker's efforts for congressional intervention.

According to ESPN's, Heater Dinitch, "The Big Ten and the SEC have substantial investment in the NCAA and there is no question that the voices of our two conferences are integral to governance and other reform efforts," Petitti said in a statement. "We recognize the similarity in our circumstances, as well as the urgency to address the common challenges we face."

Dinitch wrote the Big Ten-SEC advisory group "will act as a consultant to the leagues but won't have authority to implement changes. Its composition and timetable and the specific issues it will tackle are still unclear. What it has done, though, is further bind the two behemoths together."

Stand by as this could be a significant step.


"We do not expect to agree on everything but enhancing interaction between our conferences will help to focus efforts on common sense solutions," Sankey said.

Quite a few Florida State players rung in the new year Monday by announcing they would be returning to the Seminoles for the 2024 season. Through some new and some renewed partnerships with FSU NIL Collective The Battle's End, those announcements started pouring in New Year's Day after a few players announced before the Orange Bowl.

We'll keep track of all FSU players who have announced their returns for 2024 below:

Returning on offense
QB Luke Kromenhoek (New relationship)
RB Lawrance Toafili (Announced before Orange Bowl)
RB Caziah Holmes
RB Kam Davis (New relationship)
RB Roydell Williams (New transfer addition)
OL Darius Washington
C Maurice Smith
OT Robert Scott
G Keiondre Jones
OL Jeremiah Byers
OL Terrence Ferguson (New transfer addition)
OL Lucas Simmons
TE Landen Thomas (New relationship)
WR Ja'Khi Douglas
WR Darion Williamson
WR Kentron Poitier
WR Vandrevius Jacobs (New relationship)
WR Hykeem Williams
WR BJ Gibson (New relationship)
WR Malik Benson (New transfer addition)

Returning on defense
DE Patrick Payton
DE Byron Turner Jr. (New relationship)
DE Marvin Jones Jr. (New transfer addition)
DE Tomiwa Durojaiye (New transfer addition)
DT Daniel Lyons
DT Darrell Jackson
DT KJ Sampson (New relationship)
DT Joshua Farmer
DT Grady Kelly (New transfer addition)
LB Omar Graham Jr.
S Shyheim Brown (Announced before Orange Bowl)
DB AZ Thomas
DB Greedy Vance
DB Jamari Howard
CB Quindarrius Jones (New relationship)
CB Ja'Bril Rawls (New relationship)
CB Fentrell Cypress II
CB Charles Lester III (new relationship)
DB Ashlynd Barker (new relationship)
DB Cai Bates (new relationship)

Returning on special teams
P Alex Mastromanno
K Ryan Fitzgerald

FSU will hold a memorial service for coach Mike Martin on Saturday at noon on Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium. Details below from FSU:

• Parking is free and available in the Flying High Circus and Doak Campbell Stadium lots. Due to construction, the parking lot in front of the Moore Athletic Center is not available.
• The Haggard Plaza gate on the first-base side of Howser Stadium will open at 10:45 a.m. and will be the only entrance for the memorial service. The left field and home plate gates will not be available.
• Guestbooks will be available in Haggard Plaza for signing upon entry.
• Guests need to be seated by 11:45 a.m.
• Per Coach Martin’s request, guests are asked to wear ‘Seminole casual’ and no ties.
• Seating in the grandstands is first-come, first-serve. FSU baseball alumni, former coaches and staff and their families will have reserved seating in sections 5, 6 and 7. The 2024 baseball team will have reserved seating in the lower portion of section 8. Overflow seating will be in the right-field bleachers only.
• Coach Martin’s memorial service will not be streamed live.
• Concessions will not be operating.
• Fan Day will take place Sunday, Feb. 18 against Butler. Kids in their little league jerseys will get in free and can run the bases postgame. The team will sign autographs following the game.
• The FSU softball game originally scheduled for 12:30 p.m. will now start at 1 p.m.

Last February, FSU ranked No. 1 nationally in ESPN's FBS returning production rankings. This year, FSU is understandably much lower on the list after some key losses. However, FSU's portal additions kept the Seminoles from the bottom.

FSU is viewed as a three seed and among the last four teams in the NCAA Tournament in Baseball America's preseason projections. Don't like the projection to a Gainesville Regional (don't think you should play at a host site when you face that school three times) but it's interesting to get an early feel for how the teams are slotted in the preseason:

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Written by Adam Stanley@adam_stanley
The historic Pebble Beach Golf Links will host the second Signature Event of 2024, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, this week. The TOUR’s top players are gathered at one of golf’s most famous venues for what promises to be an exciting week.
Some changes to the tournament’s format accompany its elevation to Signature Event status. The 80-man field will compete across two courses – Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill Golf Course – and will be accompanied by amateurs for just the first two rounds.
Here’s everything else you need to know for what promises to be one of the highlights of the season.
FIELD NOTES: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is making his debut in this event. His only prior professional experience at Pebble Beach came in the 2019 U.S. Open (MC)… Reigning FedExCup champ Viktor Hovland returns to action after starting his year at The Sentry. This is Hovland’s second straight appearance at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, where he finished 13th last season. Hovland won the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach and then was low amateur at the 2019 U.S. Open here. He finished T12 and broke Jack Nicklaus’ record for low 72-hole score by an amateur in the U.S. Open... Rory McIlroy is making his 2024 debut on TOUR. He is returning to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the first time since 2018 where he missed the cut. He did, however, finish ninth at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2019. McIlroy started 2024 by finishing runner-up in the Dubai Invitational and then winning the following week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic… Amateur-no-more Nick Dunlap will make his professional debut at Pebble Beach. Dunlap, the 2023 U.S. Amateur champion, won The American Express – the first amateur in more than 30 years to win a TOUR title – and announced last week that he is turning professional and accepting PGA TOUR membership. He is now exempt on TOUR through the end of the 2026 season and has a spot in this season’s seven remaining seven Signature Events, as well as THE PLAYERS, Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship… The 80-player field at Pebble Beach includes the top 50 in the 2023 FedExCup, Nos. 51-60 on the 2023 FedExCup Fall standings, the top finisher in the 2023 Race to Dubai not otherwise exempt (Nicolai Højgaard), tournament winners not otherwise exempt (Dunlap), players inside the top 30 in the Official World Golf Ranking not otherwise exempt (Justin Thomas), four sponsor exemptions (more below) and eight spots via the “fill the field” category… Højgaard arrives at Pebble Beach after finishing second to Matthieu Pavon in the Farmers Insurance Open. In his past five worldwide starts, Højgaard has a win (DP World Tour Championship), two runners-up and another top-10… Because of the pro-am format, this week needed a guaranteed 80-man field. The field was filled with the top players from 2023’s final FedExCup Fall rankings who were not otherwise exempt: Alex Noren, Thomas Detry, Mark Hubbard, Erik van Rooyen, Brandon Wu (who finished tied for second last year at Pebble Beach), Davis Riley, S.H. Kim and Keith Mitchell. Wu not only was runner-up last year, but he received his Stanford degree on Pebble Beach’s 18th green after completing the 2019 U.S. Open here. Hubbard is an alum of nearby San Jose State alum who got engaged on Pebble Beach’s 18th green. And Mitchell famously pairs with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in this event.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Peter Malnati is making his 10th appearance at this event, with his best finish (fourth) coming last season… On the heels of his T37 at the Farmers Insurance Open, Maverick McNealy earned enough FedExCup points to satisfy his Major Medical Extension and will play the remainder of the season out of the Major Medical category including this week at Pebble Beach… Adam Scott will make his 2024 debut. Scott hasn’t played the Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 2019, but he played the U.S. Open at Pebble that same year and finished seventh… Fellow major champion and winner of THE PLAYERS, Webb Simpson, rounds out the sponsor exemptions.
SIGNATURE EVENT STORYLINES: The members of the Aon Swing 5 who earned spots in the field via their results in the last three Full-Field Events are Pavon, Grayson Murray, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Kevin Yu and Stephan Jaeger. Pavon topped the Aon Swing 5 after his win at the Farmers Insurance Open. Murray won the Sony Open in Hawaii… Yu, who finished tied for sixth at the Farmers Insurance Open after finishing tied for third at The American Express, returns to Pebble Beach after finishing tied for seventh there last year… This is the second of eight Signature Events on the PGA TOUR schedule for 2024… Pebble Beach is the first event to feature golfers that earned their way in via the Aon Swing 5. The next Signature Event, The Genesis Invitational, will factor in the aggregate points from the Sony Open, The American Express, the Farmers Insurance Open and the WM Phoenix Open… Seven hundred FedExCup Points will be available to the winner.
COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: Pavon moved inside the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 for the first time thanks to his win at Torrey Pines, going from No. 34 to No. 2… Scheffler was bounced outside the Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10, going from No. 9 to No. 11 along with Brian Harman,who moved from No. 10 to No. 12… Jordan Spieth has now been ranked inside the TOUR TOP 10 for 126 weeks – the fourth most of any player since 2009… Last week Bezuidenhout moved into the TOUR TOP 10 for the first time in his career. He stayed inside after Torrey Pines, sitting tied for ninth.
FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 700 FedExCup points.
COURSE: The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am will revert to a two-course rotation for 2024 with the smaller field. Yardages subject to change.

• Pebble Beach: Par 72, 6,972 yards
• Spyglass Hill: Par 72, 7,041 yards

72-HOLE RECORD: 265, Brandt Snedeker (2015)
18-HOLE RECORD:

• Pebble Beach: 62, Tom Kite (third round, 1983), David Duval (third round, 1997), Patrick Cantlay (first round, 2021), Matthias Schwab (second round, 2022)
• Spyglass Hill: 62, Phil Mickelson (first round, 2005), Luke Donald (first round, 2006)

LAST TIME: Justin Rose won for the first time in four years after the 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was delayed into Monday. It was his 11th win on the PGA TOUR. Rose was 3-under for his first nine holes in the final round and finished at a 6-under 66. He topped Brendon Todd and Wu by three shots. Denny McCarthy, Mitchell and Peter Malnati finished a shot behind at 14-under and tied for fourth.
Ben Silverman and Super-Bowl-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the pro-am portion of the event by one shot after finishing at 26-under.
HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET):
Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 3-7 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-7 p.m. (CBS)
• Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR Live:
PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured holes: A combination of par 3s and iconic or pivotal holes

PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and free on PGATOUR.COM/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m.
• Saturday: 2-7 p.m.
• Sunday: 1-6:30 p.m.

Congrats again to last weeks winner R Murray

@Nolerball keeps the overall lead as we head to Pebble Beach




Good Luck to everyone this week

In an inconsistent season, Florida State had at least been impressive on the road.

Not so on Saturday night. And not against the ACC’s worst team.

Jalen Warley matched a career-high with 23 points on 9 of 10 shooting, nearly all of them dribble drives, but FSU couldn’t contain Louisville in the paint and the Cardinals took a stunning 101-92 win on Saturday night. Warley was FSU’s best offensive option yet he fouled out with just over three minutes left in the game.

The Seminoles shot better than 50 percent in each half but were plagued by a season-high 18 turnovers, misfired at the free-throw line (23 of 35) and struggled on the defensive end as Louisville had 50 paint points.

The latest:

Jeff Hafely leaving BC for Green Bay DC job.

Wish we had him for a couple more years. He is the real deal and had a standout performance at his All Star game. Probably the most talented DT we have had in years. Here is wishing he goes high in the draft and I will be surprised if he still there after the first 2 rounds of the draft,

Been covering high school recruiting for over 20+ years now. Tampa/St Pete/Polk county have always had some nice players come from these areas. Only one time do I remember them having a group like this year and that is when James Wilder, Anthony Chickollo came out. There was a Tampa Jefferson team loaded as well as Robinson who sent two players to college. This is one of those years where the stars seemt to be aligning.

5 -Stars

Dallas Golden-Berkeley Prep-Ath-6'1-175

Dallas Wilson-Tampa Bay Tech-WR-6'3-175

DJ Pickett-Zephyrhills-CB-6'4-190

These three prospects should all be considered for 5 star status if they have not been already. Golden put on a big time performance in the state finals against Miami Norland. He won Berkeley Prep their first state title. Everytime they needed a big play Golden came through.

Dallas Wilson is very impressive looking physically. Big, strong fast. He has very good hands and is smooth. The game comes easy for him. He is a phsycial prescence. He is my number one rated receiver on the board.

Pickett maybe the best player in Florida. He is one of the top corners to come out of Florida in the past 20 years. The best i have seen...Patrick Peterson, Patrick Surtain Jr, Janorris Jenkins, Vernon Heargreaves....He is in that group. DJ is an elite prospect. He will be a day one start IMHO or start sometime during his freshman season.

Other top prospects....

Joseph Troupe - Berkeley Prep-RB-5'9-210- 3rd and over 20....state title game and Troupe gets the ball and runs through the Norland defense to seal the win. He runs with both power and finesse. His style has a little Ray Rice or Devonta Freeman.


Ziyare Addison-Sumer HS-OT-6'5-270-Turn on his film and there are not many better in Florida. Sumer is a new school and they are producing talent almost every year. He is a big man that can move. You are looking at another potential high 4 maybe even five star prospect.

Tyler Williams-Sumner- WR-6'2-180 Addison his teammate has a bunch of offers even from SEC programs.

Others...

Justin Turman-Tampa Jesuit-RB-5'11-190 (Committed to Notre Dame)
Santonyo Issaw-Tampa Bay Tech-WR-6'0-160
Waltez Clark-Tampa Plant-RB-6'2-200 (Committed to UF)
Jershaun Newton-Clearwater Central Cath.-Ath.-6'0-200
Bryce Randolph-Wiregrass-Ath-5'11-160

There are over 30-40 prospects with D1 offers in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk County. This does not even count the underclassmen as well. I know FSU has not done great in this area but the next two years you better pitch a tent because this is where the elite talent is coming from.

FSU sports information:

Florida State men’s track and field hurdler Andre Korbmacher finished seventh in the 60-meter hurdles at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on Sunday in Boston.

As the only collegiate athlete in the field, Korbmacher established a new personal best in the preliminary round at 7.69. In finals, he lowered that mark, crossing the line at 7.67.

His time is the sixth-fastest in FSU history and currently stands in first in the ACC and fifth in the nation.

“Andre showed great composure racing against the best in the world,” said associate head coach Matt Kane. “He earned two new personal best and a top five NCAA time which puts him as a strong contender to make the finals at the NCAA championships in March.”

The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as the Boston Indoor Games, is part of the USA Track and Field Visa Championship Series and attracts high-caliber athletes including Olympic and World Championship medalists.