Florida State Football Recruiting: Tackle Manasse Itete

July 29, 2023

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What a way to close out the month of July.

Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles continue to rack up commitments from blue-chip prospects on the recruiting trail. After landing a massive pledge from consensus 5-star CB Charles Lester on Friday night, FSU snatched another verbal pledge for #Tribe 24 today after flipping him from another major program, this one coming all the way from California.

Manasse Itete is an 6’5”, 290 pound offensive lineman who plays for Central Catholic High School in Modesto, California. He primarily lines up as an offensive tackle and boasts a 84-inch wingspan. He is currently a four-star prospect ranked 331st nationally by 247 Composite (26th best OT and 28th best player in CA). 247 Sports thinks very highly of Itete, ranking him as the 142nd best player nationally (12th best OT and 15th best player in CA).

Itete is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa and grew up playing soccer. He initially came to the US to play basketball but football has also come naturally to him. After leaving an initial visit to FSU this summer on the verge of committing, he ended up pulling the trigger for the USC Trojans after visiting them. That didn’t stop OC Alex Atkins and GM Darrick Yray from recruiting him, however, and those efforts paid off today.

Itete has now chosen the Seminoles over nearly 20 other offers from the likes of the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Auburn Tigers, California Golden Bears, Kansas State Wildcats, Maryland Terrapins, Miami (FL) Hurricanes, Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans, Utah Utes, Vanderbilt Commodores, and Washington Huskies.

Itete is just barely scratching the surface of his abilities on the football field and is coveted as a very moldable prospect with a high developmental ceiling. He has great coordination from playing soccer and boasts a good frame that can handle more mass as he progresses in a strength and conditioning program.

He has built an excellent relationship with Atkins, with OL assistant Gabe Fertitta and Yray also playing significant roles in Itete’s recruitment. Yray continues his success working on West Coast targets. Special shout out to incoming freshman linebacker Blake Nichelson, who is also close with Itete.

Check out Tomahawk Nation’s most recent Official Recruiting and Transfer Portal Thread to interact with the Three Stars and for more information about FSU recruiting.