Four-star tight end Hollis Davidson was at FSU for the second time since decommitting from Auburn over the weekend.

After reflecting on his "great" FSU official visit, he now enters decision mode between FSU, UF and Auburn sometime in the next few weeks.

One of the most important outcomes of the weekend so far, Javion Hilson is shutting down his recruitment.
https://floridastate.rivals.com/new...hilson-shuts-down-recruitment-sticks-with-fsu

FSU sports information:

Two-time national champion Jody Brown has signed a professional contract with four-time Portuguese league champions S.L. Benfica on Thursday. This marks the eighth Seminole from the 2023 national championship team to be signed by a professional team.

Brown scored seven goals and five assists in her 20 starts in the 2023 season. She earned All-ACC honors in all four years of playing and was named a United Soccer Coaches All-American in 2022 and 2023.

Throughout her Seminole career, she racked up over 4,500 minutes of playing time with 78 appearances and 60 starts for the Garnet and Gold, scoring 24 goals and adding 25 assists for 73 points. She scored seven goals with five assists in NCAA Tournament play.

She authored several magical moments for the Seminoles between scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Florida in 2023, scoring the game-winning goal in the 2022 ACC Championship over North Carolina, and scoring two goals in the 5-1 victory in the latest National Championship Game over Stanford.

Brown finishes her career littered across the program record books. She finished tied for fifth in game-winning goals (11), tied for seventh in total assists (25), eighth in multi-goal games (5), and ninth in total points (73).

The Jamaican international has made 23 caps for the Reggae Girlz and has seven appearances in the previous two FIFA Women’s World Cups, including starting in all four matches of the 2023 edition. She currently sits eighth on the all-time Jamaican cap list and tied for fourth on the all-time Jamaican scoring list at 11 goals.

Defensive end prospect Nicolas Clayton has committed to Wisconsin this afternoon. He made his decision just a little bit over 48 hours after having finished his official visit to Florida State.

I really liked his film and thought it would be a good take on its own merits. However, this is a numbers game and most likely means a couple of things.
One, they feel really good about Javion Hilson's commitment.

And two, the think they are going to get either Zion Grady, Jared Smith or Jalen Wiggins to commit. It is possible that they could end up with two of those three prospects. My opinion is that FSU would have taken a commitment from Clayton if it didn't feel it was getting at least two of the four aforementioned prospects.

The other component of this that works in FSU's favor is that if for some reason they were not able to get two of those four players, the Seminoles can take another shot with Clayton. Staying in-state would be a great selling point if Norvell and company decided to try and flip Clayton this fall.

FSU sports information:

Florida State jumper Jeremiah Davis and FSU alum Issac Grimes advanced to the final of the men’s long jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials with their performances Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

In round one, Grimes finished fifth at 7.96m (26-1 ½). Davis followed in ninth with a mark of 7.88m (25-10 ¼), advancing to the final.

Dajaz DeFrand concluded her sophomore season in the 100-meter dash semifinal round, placing 16th with a time of 11.26.

Davis and Grimes will compete in the long jump final on Monday at 8:25 p.m. ET. Tyson Williams will compete alongside former FSU standout Trey Cunningham in the first round of the 110-meter hurdles, which is set to begin at 8:50 p.m. ET.

Four-star offensive lineman Josh Petty wrapped up a busy month of official visits at FSU this weekend. He left campus this morning capable of seeing himself at FSU and getting sold on becoming a Seminole by his sister who is enrolling at FSU this fall.

Safeties-2026
Dominick Kelly: Chaminade (FL) 6’1-170 (2026): Crazy to think Kelly has transferred to Chaminade. A team already loaded with talent landed the top defensive back in the class of 2026. He is committed to USC at this time but that won't stop everyone in the country from recruiting him. Kelly is a very impressive athlete. He displays both range and versatility. You can play him at multiple positions in the secondary. Now that he is out of Tampa maybe FSU will have a shot.

Tedarius Hughes: South Dade-6’2-170 (2026): FSU offered Hughes this spring and they are the leader for his services. He is a big time talent. FSU has had success in the past recruiting players out of Homestead. Hughes has both size and length. He is another prospect that could end up growing into a linebacker.

Ayden Pouncey: Winter Park-6’3-170 (2026): This family has produced three D1 athletes over the past decade. Ayden is the most talented of all the prospects. His size and length cause receivers problems. He gets into the passing lanes and knocks passes down. He can sit on the hash and cover a ton of ground.

Jordan Smith –Houston County (GA) 6’2-180 (2026); Smith fits the trend of defensive backs FSU is now recruiting. He is big, long and athletic. He plays both strong and free safety. You can have him sit in center field and Smith will watch the quarterback’s eyes. If you throw across the middle late, Smith will make you pay. He can tackle well. You will see him come up in run support. He is fluid for a big guy. He has very good feet. You will see him position himself very well. You can also bring him on a blitz and get pressure on the quarterback.

Jonatavius Wyman-Jonesboro HS (GA) 6’1-175 (2026) Wyman can line up at safety or corner. He is another versatile defensive back FSU has offered. He does well at recognizing what the offense is trying to do. He has good football instincts. You will see him come up and get under a receiver trying to block him and make a negative play for the opposing offense.

Cortez Redding-Jonesboro HS (GA) 6’0-170 (2026): Cortez plays strong safety. Like to see him play more than one position. This kid can flat out hit. He will come up and knock a ball carrier backwards. When he hits someone they go backwards. You will see him back in coverage but that his strength. He is very physical. This kid would have been called a ROVER in the Mickey Andrews defense.

Safeties-2027
Kemon Spell: Mckeesport HS (PA) 5’10-170 (2027): FSU does not go up north very often for defensive backs. When they do they have had success with them. This kid plays on both sides of the football. You will see him break off long runs on offense. He will return kicks on special teams. He has speed and quickness. Kid looks like the film is sped up. He is someone that could end up a very good player at the next level.

Dolph McDonald: Morton HS-(MS) 6’1-160 (2027) Eventually FSU will break through in the Magnolia State. McDonald was very productive last year. He had 7 interceptions. He has good ball skills. You will see him read the quarterbacks eyes and react quickly. He has range. He can get up and knock passes down that other defensive backs cant. He can play corner or safety. He is someone that is going to draw a ton of offers.

CB
Jaydin Broadnax: West Boca HS (FL) 6’3-175 (2026): Listed as a three star prospect. Don't believe he will be ranked that low for much longer. Big, long and athletic. We have talked about the trend of corners FSU is looking at and this kid checks all the boxes. He performed very well against Vero Beach in their spring game and after FSU coaches watched him live, offered Jaydin.

Dorian Barney: Carrollton HS (GA) 6’1-170 (2026) Committed to Alabama: Barney is a lock down corner. He is also very aggressive on defense. You will see him react very quickly on defense. He is very fluid in his hips. You will see him open up and run with receivers and have no hesitation. He does very well in off coverage. You will see him jam a receiver, come off his guy and tackle someone else. He has the size and range to play anywhere in the secondary.

Jordan Crutchfield: Westwood HS (FL) 6’3-175 not shocked by this offer. Jordan is another prospect I had the chance to watch this spring and came away impressed. He is listed at 6'3 and is probably that size. He is a little on the thin side but should be able to add the necessary weight. Very good athlete. In his spring game, Jordan played both receiver and corner. He showed good ball skills. He can adjust to the ball in the air. He has the ability to change direction. Bigger defensive backs are not so fluid. Westwood best player was Khalil Mack. Jordan could be the next best prospect to come out of Westwood.

2027 Offers
Cansere Gaylord: IMG Academy: 6’0-170 (2027): Holds big time offers early and you can see why. He has pretty good size for a corner. You will see he has very quick feet. He is someone that can recover quickly if beaten on a play. He comes up and tackles well. He does not give up on plays. You will see him come across the field to tackle someone.

Defensive end Nicolas Clayton who was on-campus for an official visit with FSU earlier this week will announce which school he will commit to at 3pm this afternoon. He will choose between Florida State, UCF, Tulane, Wisconsin and Nebraska. He cancelled his official visit to Illinois which was scheduled for this weekend during his visit to FSU.

FSU already has Javion Hilson committed at DE for 2025 and still has Jared Smith, Zion Grady and Jalen Wiggins on the board.

The reasons I put in a FutureCast for Clayton to FSU are this: He was offered late by FSU who wasted no time in getting him on-campus for an official visit. They could have slowed played this into the fall if they had reservations. Secondly, he cancelled his official visit to Illinois. And another reason would be because of where he now sits on FSU's defensive end board. There are some people who believe Wiggins will end up at DT in college, but he is being recruited as a defensive end and is committed to Florida. It is unlikely that FSU lands Jared Smith and there really isn't any clear indication that Grady has a real favorite going into this last official visit of the summer. He has visited Auburn, Tennessee since being on FSU's campus and is at Ohio State this weekend.

Florida State donors entered Doak Campbell Stadium and were in awe: An under-construction west sideline showed plenty of progress but also work ahead in the next six weeks on the first phase of the project.

And then they grabbed Sharpies and signed a long, steel beam that was lifted by a crane and bolted into place at the 20-yard line of Doak's north end zone. Many wrote “Go Noles!” and then signed their names with the date, 6-22-2024. From small children lifted up onto a parent’s shoulders to ticket holders who have spent decades of Saturdays watching FSU football games, the moment was an appreciation of their commitment toward the future of the program.

“You look for times where you could thank them for their belief in our vision,” FSU athletics director Michael Alford said. “The beam-signing, we did it at Cowboys Stadium, we did it at Oklahoma when we did that facility. For them to have an opportunity to come and sign that beam and be a piece of history forever in historic Doak Campbell Stadium, it really means a lot. They get a lot out of it. The fellowship, watching this event take place is really something special.”

After a breakthrough 2024 season, FSU will have some lineup holes to fill in 2025 but looks positioned to have a very strong pitching staff.

Here's an early look at the 2025 FSU baseball team ahead of next month's MLB Draft which could shake things up.

Florida State president Richard McCullough spoke at the Board of Trustees' meeting on Thursday afternoon. Among his updates was a visit with some of the leaders of the AAU in March. FSU's pursuit of AAU accreditation has been a focal point dating back to the presidential interviews in 2021.

I hadn't heard this mentioned by McCullough, and thought his explanation about how FSU is positioned toward attaining AAU status was interesting, too.

"We’re a left-brain, right-brain institution with really strong arts, humanities and social sciences, and at the same time really great science," McCullough said. "When you take a metric of research expenditures and you divide it by the number of faculty, that number is going to look very different if you’re at Cal Tech, where you’re only science, or even a Georgia Tech vs. an FSU. We’re a very broad university. Telling that story is important. The meeting went really well.

"Florida State is a story of momentum. And as we continue to grow in research and excellence, we’re moving into the realm of being a university that they’ll want to look at for AAU."

McCullough also discussed the FSU-Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare partnership. FSU shared some details back in April here:

From him:

I'll have a story later today but here's a short video interview with Michael Alford on the Doak Campbell Stadium project:

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FSU has opened up Doak for an event this morning to boosters and media. We will have more but here is a look at west side:

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Rivals analysts Adam Gorney and Marshall Levenson discuss their impressions of Tramell Jones:

The show must go on. But Florida State’s Flying High Circus could use help, too.

FSU sports information:

Junior outfielder James Tibbs III added to his 2024 accolades Friday when he was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for baseball. This is the sixth time a Seminole has earned the honor and first since Gage Smith won it in consecutive seasons in 2013-14.

Tibbs, from Marietta, Georgia, was also named the ACC Player of the Year, a unanimous first-team All-American, earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-District Team and won the ACC’s Postgraduate Scholarship Award. Tibbs was on the ACC Championship All-Tournament Team and a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award.

In the classroom, Tibbs graduated in May with a degree in political science and had a 3.53 GPA during his time at FSU. He was on the 2023 and 2024 All-ACC Academic Team and the ACC Academic Honor Roll all three years.

On the field, Tibbs led Florida State with 28 home runs, 95 RBI, a .777 slugging percentage and 58 walks. Tibbs 28 home runs are fifth in a season at FSU and the most since Marshall McDougall also had 28 in 1999. His 95 RBI are seventh in a season at FSU.

Tibbs helped lead the Seminoles back to the College World Series for the 24th time in program history and first since 2019 with a 5-for-6 game against Connecticut in the Super Regional, including three home runs. Tibbs matched his career high with six RBI in the Noles 10-8 win, with three two-run home runs that all either tied the game or gave FSU the lead, including the game-winner in the top of the 12th inning. It was FSU’s first three-home run game for a player since 2010.

Led by Tibbs, FSU tied its school-record 13 selections to the All-ACC Academic Team:

Senior first baseman Daniel Cantu (athletic coaching)
Junior outfielder Jaime Ferrer (sport management)
Freshman infielder Cal Fisher (finance)
Junior pitcher Connor Hults (social sciences)
Sophomore shortstop Alex Lodise (sport management)
Freshman pitcher Brady Louck (finance)
Senior pitcher Brennen Oxford (hospitality entrepreneurship)
Sophomore outfielder DeAmez Ross (communications)
Senior pitcher Noah Short (athletic coaching)
Sophomore third baseman Cam Smith (sport management)
Junior outfielder James Tibbs III (political science)
Junior pitcher Conner Whittaker (social sciences)
Sophomore outfielder Max Williams (finance)

Centerfielder Gage Harrelson announced today he's transferring from Texas Tech to FSU. Over two seasons in Lubbock, Harrelson posted a .407 OBP, a .300 batting average and made quite a few highlight plays defensively.

Thanks to Rivals' video team for providing the clips and to Nick Carlisle for editing:

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(Story from Rivals' Adam Gorney and Marshall Levenson)

Rivals charted all 400 throws at Wednesday's Elite 11 Pro Day with a simple grading scale for each based on a number system, with a range from 3 down to 1. Three represented "money" throws, on-time and accurate. Two represented catchable balls on target. One represented an off-target attempt.

FSU sports information:

Ten athletes with ties to the Florida State track and field will compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials from Friday-June 30 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

Dajaz DeFrand, Tyra Wilson and Alexandra Webster will compete in women’s events, while Jeremiah Davis, Tyson Williams, and Kyvon Tatham will represent the men’s team.

Professional athletes Trey Cunningham, Issac Grimes, Ahmed Muhammed and Kasey Knevelbaard will also look to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics.

DeFrand will compete in the 100-meter from June 21 –22. She will also be in contention for the 4x100 relay in Paris. Wilson is entered in the 400 hurdles set to begin June 27. Webster begins competition in the 100 hurdles on June 28.

Davis will compete on June 22 and 24 in the long jump, while Tatham and Davis are set for the triple jump on June 28 and 30.

Williams and Cunningham are entered in the 110 hurdles running from June 24-28.

Muhammed (2022) and Knevelbaard (2019-2021) will compete in the 5,000 on June 27.

The top three finishers in each event will make Team USA, provided they have met the Olympic qualifying standard. Any additional athletes, based on their results from trials can also be added to relay pools.

Coverage of the U.S. Olympic Trials will be streamed live each day between NBC, Peacock and USA.