FSU has added another transfer pitcher to its 2025 roster. Long Beach State transfer RHP Grant Cherry (3.62 ERA over 32.1 innings this season) announced his FSU commitment tonight. He's the team's fifth transfer addition of the offseason and the fourth pitcher, one of whom is a two-way player.

EA Sports released its ranking of the 25 best offenses in EA Sports College Football 25 this morning. FSU is included but probably not as highly as you would think.

FSU sports information:

Former Florida State soccer players Casey Krueger (Short) and Jenna Nighswonger have been selected to the 18-person roster for the United States Women’s National Team in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. This marks the first time two Seminoles will represent the United States in women’s soccer.

Krueger played four seasons at Florida State with 81 appearances and 70 starts, scoring seven goals with 18 assists for 32 career points as a defender. She was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team in 2008, second team All-ACC in 2010 and 2012, and played in the 2012 College Cup.

Krueger was drafted fifth overall in the 2013 NWSL Draft and has made nearly 150 club appearances across a decade-long career in the NWSL. She currently plays for the Washington Spirit. Krueger has been selected for a second straight Olympic Games to represent the four-time gold medalists and has 49 caps for her country dating back to 2016.

Nighswonger played four seasons at Florida State with 86 appearances and 56 starts, scoring 19 goals and 34 assists for 74 points as a midfielder. The 2021 national champion earned six All-ACC honors, was named the 2022 ACC Tournament MVP, 2022 United States Coaches All-American, and a 2022 MAC Hermann and Honda Award finalist.

Nighswonger was drafted fourth overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft to NJ/NY Gotham FC and made 22 starts in her rookie season. She was named Rookie of the Month twice and was promptly named the 2023 NWSL Rookie of the Year en route to Gotham’s first-ever NWSL Championship. Nighswonger has been selected for her first Olympics and her first major international competition after just nine caps.

The United States will begin its Olympic journey on July 25 against Zambia at 3 p.m. ET.

The second day of the Rivals Five-Star Event in Jacksonville has begun. The prospects are working out at the brand-new Jacksonville Jaguars indoor facility. The prospects will be timed in the forty-yard dash this morning and there will also be a bench press competition. Then this afternoon they will break out into position groups where they be put through fundamental and technique work before going through one-on-one and seven-on-seven drills.

The Osceola will have video and updates throughout the day.

LB Tavion Wallace (Jesup, Ga., Wayne County): I put a future cast in for Wallace. I believe he visits this weekend. I expect him to pull the trigger as well for FSU. He likes the Noles and they like him. He is a major need for FSU. They need linebackers.

OL Peyton Joseph (Warner Robins, Ga., Houston County HS): Joseph has been a lean for FSU for a while. It came down to whether FSU wanted to take his commitment. I believe he has been given the go ahead to pull the trigger. Joseph will most likely end up in FSU's class soon.

DE Nicolas Clayton (Gainesville Buchholz): Clayton recruitment went from FSU being the leader and landing his commitment to up in the air. Keep an eye on this recruitment as it may go sideways today. It is a matter of if not when Clayton will pull the trigger for FSU. I think he is vastly underrated. This is one evaluation I believe the coaches have hit on. Size - Check (6'5). Speed and quickness (Check), length (Check). Clayton Checks all the boxes. He can come off the edge and put pressure on the quarterback. He reminds me of Brian Burns in some of his clips. I like his versatility. You can put his hands on the ground and let him go. You can also have him stand up and drop back into coverage.

2026 QB Brady Smigiel (Newberry Park, Calif.): I was told at the FSU camp that to expect a big commitment from a QB (Class of 2026). I mentioned it to Pat after what was said to me. Brady was the QB. He is ready to pull the trigger. Brady is on campus and the good news should come by this weekend. I put a future cast in for Brady. BIG arm, big-time size. I have said many times, you have to have some ELITE traits for FSU to recruit you IMHO.

SOME BAD NEWS. Tramell Jones - I expect him to end up a Florida Gator. He has taken some trips to Gainesville and from what I have been hearing Jones is off to Gator Land. I am to the point with SFE players to not bother recruiting them anymore. Vernell Brown, who is also on the Express and very close to Jones, will be joining him. I had Brown rated the No. 1 slot receiver in Florida. I still would not be shocked to see Brown end up a DB in college. I think once Jones pulls the trigger FSU moves on.

Who would they go after? I was told FSU has been recruiting Luke Nickel and Carter Smith. I expect Carter Smith to be the focus of their search. He has the potential to be a big time QB. I have him rated as the No. 1 option. He is raw but Smith is very talented. He has a baseball background as well.

RB News - Ousmane Kromah / Byron Louis - It would be great to land both but I like to be on the conservative side and say FSU will get one of the two. I know Kromah has visited and FSU is in a better spot but with the ties to AH Plantation and Pat Surtain, I would side more with Louis. Both are great backs and in a Mike Norvell system they would do really well. I do think FSU will try and take two backs this year.

WR News - Update - Moore will be making a decision and it is down to UF/FSU. FSU had momentum through the spring, UF has made a move. Even if Moore does not choose FSU at this time, I believe they will win out in the end. Most here know my feelings about UF. I put little stock in most of the prospects that commit to them now.

FSU is going for the big dogs. Daylan McCutcheon out of Lovejoy, Texas, looks to be leaning towards FSU. With the news of Brown this takes away a little bit of the sting. Daylan is a four-star WR. I will go back and evaluate McCutcheon and give some thoughts on him as a receiver. Joshua Moore. This is going to come down to an FSU, Florida and Miami battle. The Hurricanes have made a move with Moore but I am still feeling good about FSU. I have stated the longer these go on the odds go down IMHO. Moore was a lean to FSU and has continued to wait to pull the trigger. FSU needs to lock this one down. Malik Clark has visited recently. I personally would rather see FSU hold off before taking commits from the 2nd tier receivers.

TE news: Hollis Davidson visits this weekend. I think he is part of the Summertime commits. FSU needs a TE and Hollis is at the top or near the top of the board. It is time. FSU needs to lock this one down and be able to move on. Chase Loftin is still an option but I am skeptical that a prospect from Nebraska will come all this way when the Huskers are trying to rebuild their program. Matt Ruhle is a good coach and recruiter.

OL - We spoke about Peyton Joseph earlier. We still feel good about Max Buchanan and Josh Petty. I still feel FSU will only look at the top group of lineman right now.

DL- Jalen Wiggins is taking another visit this weekend. We have said follow the visits. Pat has heard as well that Wiggins could end up in FSU's class. Wiggins plays DE but we project him as a DT in college. Myron Charles will be back on campus this weekend. This is another one that FSU needs to lock down. It is time the Big Man becomes a Seminole. He has leaned that way for a while. Charles does like Texas so they have put some thoughts in his mind but we still like where FSU stands. Kevin Wynn is on campus this weekend. He could help close out what could end up a very good DL class.

The two players FSU will hold out on are Jared Smith and Zion Grady. FSU is on both but you guys know my feelings about players from Alabama.

LB - FSU has a commitment from Ethan Pritchard who is now listed as a LB. Tavion Wallace looks to become a Seminole this weekend. This news is a big reason why it seems the recruitment of Michael Hastie has been slowed down. FSU is still recruiting Ty Jackson and Zaydarius Rainey-Sale. Those two are options for the Seminoles. Gavin Nix takes a visit but he has been leaning to UM. This visit is huge as Gavin has not been back to FSU since early this year.

DB - FSU DB recruiting has been very good the past couple of years. They need safeties. Gregory Thomas is taking a visit this weekend and has a commitment date. It is down to FSU and Clemson. You never know when it comes to Clemson. FSU has not done well in these head-to-head recruitments with the Tigers. FSU should have one major advantage and that is Pat Surtain.

Shamar Arnoux - The Georgia DB is another kid we really like. Big, long and athletic. He has all the physical tools to being recruited by FSU. You don't see to many 5-9, 5-10 players in this group. They have to be elite at that size for FSU to recruit them.

Ben Hanks has visited. I expect him to choose between Miami and UF.

FSU has put themselves in the Bryce Fitzgerald and Ladarian Clardy sweepstakes. I would like to see Clardy in their class as I feel he has major upside. Bryce is one of the top safeties in the Southeast.

Final thoughts: FSU sits in a good spot right now in recruiting. You would like for them to bring in a QB this year. I think you need to bring in quarterbacks in every class. A name that I would like for them to take a look at and get on campus is Ryan Killmer out of Tocoi Creek. He can sling the rock. While not a finished product the kid can push the ball down the field. He has very good hand talent, which is important to coaches. He was great at the FIU camp. I think someone can land the kid and develop him into a quality QB. With many options off the table this kid is not going to scare any younger guys away from FSU.

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A day after landing the commitment of four-star WR CJ Wiley yesterday, FSU was on the losing end of the battle for four-star WR Joshua Moore who just committed to Florida a few moments ago. Moore took an official visit to FSU earlier this month. We reported yesterday that Mooe was leaning towards the Gators.

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With the 2023-24 college athletic season complete, we now know the final standings for this year's Learfield Director's Cup. FSU finished 12th.

Here's the FSU press release:

TALLAHASSEE – After 18 of its 20 teams advanced to the postseason, Florida State finished 12th in the 2023-24 LEARFIELD Director’s Cup standings, the program’s highest placing since the 2018-19 academic year, it was announced Wednesday.

“This was a great year for Florida State athletics,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford said. “We have a commitment to comprehensive excellence and supporting our student-athletes at the highest level, and that is reflected in the results. Our women’s soccer team claimed another national championship to highlight seven top-10 national finishes throughout our department and 18 programs that competed in the postseason. I’m so proud of all the hard work from our student-athletes, coaches and staff, and I’m thankful for the support and alignment from President McCullough and the Board of Trustees led by Chairman Peter Collins. We are continuing to build a bright future for Florida State.”

The Seminoles scored 998.88 points, their most since scoring 1,046.25 in 2018-19, led by a national championship in women’s soccer and a runner-up finish in men’s golf. FSU’s baseball team earned third-place points for its run to the Men’s College World Series semifinal, beach volleyball placed fifth after playing into the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament, and football contributed a sixth-place national finish following a campaign that featured an undefeated regular season and appearance in the Orange Bowl.

Softball and men’s tennis each scored ninth-place points by advancing to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament, while women’s golf earned an 11th-place finish and women’s tennis scored in 17th place after winning its first-round NCAA Tournament match. The men’s track and field team placed 15th at the NCAA Indoor Championships and 19th at the outdoor national championship meet.

Men’s swimming earned a 21st-place finish at the NCAA Championships, and men’s cross country placed 27th at the national meet. Women’s basketball and volleyball both scored in 33rd place after being selected for their respective NCAA Tournaments. Women’s swimming and women’s indoor track and field placed 38th at the NCAA Championship meets, and women’s outdoor track and field added points with a 54th-place finish nationally.

Florida State claimed five conference championships, with women’s soccer and football both steamrolling to ACC titles behind an undefeated record. Volleyball won its first ACC title since 2012, beach volleyball won its seventh CCSA championship in the last eight years, and men’s tennis earned its first ACC crown by becoming the first team in ACC Tournament history to win four matches in four days and the first to defeat the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the same tournament.

Overall, 19 sports per school are counted in the final LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings, four of which must be women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball and baseball. The next 15 highest-scoring sports, regardless of gender, are used in the standings.

The LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in the NCAA Championships.

Who effed up the home page with all the overlapping scrolls and text boxes covering up articles? The black background is the only improvement I see so we don't have to try and read white headline text font on a light-colored background any more. Sheesh, what a mess.

In recruiting it is best to be patient. Yesterday the world was coming to an end as a top rated DE Zion Grady spurned FSU and chose Ohio State. Today you pull in CJ Wiley who I have rated as the number one receiver in Georgia. He has great size and can flat out run. He is close to being a 5 star receiver. Wiley shocked the recruiting nation and chose FSU today. FSU also landed a nice defensive tackle yesterday. These two pieces are nice additions to the FSU class. We will rank the commits...


1-CJ Wiley-WR-Alpharetta-6'3-180: FSU continues to stock their receiver room. Wiley fits the ELITE traits category. He has ELITE size. He has great hands. Watch how his hands go up and just snatch the ball. He has elite body control. He can catch the ball over either shoulder. He can run after the catch. Big receivers are usually long striders. Not Wiley, he runs so effortlessly. Love this kid’s talent. He is a big time get for FSU. He is a better version of Keon Coleman. This the best prospect in FSU class right now.

2-Solomon Thomas-OT-6'4-315: Thomas is a big time get. He is another player who gives you size. He is not tall like you want your tackles to be but he is wide. He can play tackle or guard. He moves very well for a big man. You watch this kid move and you will come away impressed. He does well at getting onto defensive lineman, blocking them and moving on to the 2nd level. He has violent hands. He is a people mover. Love the way this kid plays the game.

3-Javion Hilson-DE-Cocoa-6'4-235: Hilson reminds us of Dallas Turner who played at Saint Thomas, went on to a career at Alabama and ended up a 1st round pick in the NFL. FSU needed a top defensive end in their class and Hilson is it. He has a very quick first step off the ball. He is able to create a pass rush even if Hilson is not sacking the quarterback. He is a good enough athlete to play with his hand off the ground. It is HUGE NEWS that Hilson has said he will shut his recruitment down.

4-Myron Charles -DT-6'3-280: Charles was a prospect that I first saw during spring football his freshman season at Port Charlotte. Watched him and than sent his information out to college coaches. In less than a couple of weeks, Charles was receiving interest and offers from the Elite programs across the country. Charles is a big kid that can move. He also has some nice moves. He is not a straight bull rusher. He can come off the ball and get into the backfield. He does need some work but there is a lot to work with. This was a big time get for FSU.

5-Kevin Wynn-DT-Greene County-6'2-320: Wynn is going to end up a pretty good defensive tackle at FSU. He is not in the ELITE group but Wynn is a big bodied DT that can take up space. He is going to eat up blocks and allow his linebackers to clean up tackles. He has good first step off the ball. He is strong. You will see him stuff the run. He is not a great pass rusher from the inside. Do like this take. You need big guys who can play inside and Wynn can do that.

6-Chase Loftin-TE-Nebraska-6'5-215: Really like this pickup. He can strecth out wide and play receiver. You can move him closer to your tackle and let him play as a traditional tight end. He is big, long and athletic. You can start to see the trend. FSU is tyring to improve the TE room and after landing Thomas last season and Loftin this season they have done the job. He is one of the most underrated prospects who has committed.

7-Tramell Jones-QB-Mandarin HS-6'0-200: For Now Jones is in FSU class. He is a good high school quarterback. He is a quarterback that should be able to manage a game. That is what he does at the high school level. Not an elite prospect but one that if develops can be a starter at the next level. He has a good but not great arm. He can avoid a pass rusher but is not someone that defenses have to fear beating you with his legs.

8-Ethan Pritchard-LB-6'2-205-Seminole HS-6'2-200: FSU has a major need for linebackers and Ethan fits the mold. He is a versatile player who can play strong safety or linebacker. He has the ability to come up and play the run or drop back into coverage. Ethan has size and range. He is good at open field tackling. He has enough speed and quickness to get to the edge. Ethan is an underrated prospect.

Some news out of FSU this morning. An FSU spokesperson confirmed to the Osceola that FSU's director of high-school relations, Ryan Bartow, is no longer on the Seminoles' staff. Bartow has been on Mike Norvell's staff since he was hired in February of 2021, working in a major behind-the-scenes recruiting role after working previously at Syracuse and Oregon and as a recruiting analyst for Rivals and 247Sports.

He's been removed from FSU's online staff directory already.

D!Baseball announced its 2024 All-Americans this morning and as expected, there's plenty of FSU representation. The Seminoles' two first-team All-Americans are tied for the most of any team and their three overall All-Americans are tied for second most of any team.

That’s the question I received yesterday just prior to CJ Wiley’s commitment to Florida State.
The timing was ironic as Florida State has received three commitments and just the past 48 hours or so, but indicative of a question a lot of us may be asking.
Here’s the response I sent and thought I’d share here too.

“They have passed on some very good players who would have committed a FSU a month ago and stuck if FSU would have taken their commitment. But FSU’s success in recent seasons has enabled them to get into the higher-risk, higher-stakes recruitment of 4 and 5 star players who are still weighing their options which will continue right into signing day.
Even the committed players at this level will continue to be recruited and tempted by college coaches and collectives and FSU will be among them.
When you see a flip, dont just blame the kid. There were adults involved as well.

Good morning from the Leon County Courthouse. We're in courtroom 3D as Judge John Cooper will again be hearing arguments in the FSU vs. ACC case.

The legal teams have arrived and are camped outside the courtoom. We'll have updates throughout the day in the thread.

Rivals is hosting 104 prospects from across the country at the Rivals 5-Star Camp in Jacksonville, Florida. We will have updates today as the players check-in and video tomorrow from the workout portion of the camp which will take place at Jacksonville Jaguars facility.

Five-star 2026 QB Brady Smigiel committed to Florida State this past Saturday. Smigiel committed to the Seminoles after taking two unofficial visits to FSU, one in April, and one last week.

Smigiel talks about the impact that FSU head coach Mike Norvell and quarterback coach Tony Tokarz played in his decision and why he and his family were comfortable committing to Seminoles.

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A big win for the Noles in a major position of need.
https://floridastate.rivals.com/news/four-star-de-kevin-wynn-commits-to-florida-state

Nobody has started a thread to talk about it, but the victory over UNC yesterday may have been one of the most fun games I have seen in a long time. I truly enjoyed watching some players, who maybe were not expected to do too much, step up in just huge ways to will this team to victory. The usual suspects did not particularly have extraordinary days, but instead the likes of Armstrong, West, Hultz, Williams. . .just played out of their minds. The pitchers were just in control and attacked all game long.

Just wanted to start up some conversation about what an amazing game that was. Now, lets continue to build on that momentum!

In his 6th visit in as many months, Wiggins was still able to learn more about what Florida State can offer him.
https://floridastate.rivals.com/new...ar-dl-jalen-wiggins-on-staying-home-during-ov