Noles News: FSU football gets 2 commits to kick off

Recruiting

Florida State Seminoles football kicked off the month of July in major fashion, getting commitments from two of its top targets — four-star defensive back Ricky Knight III and DD Holmes.

Holmes chose the Seminoles over fellow finalists South Carolina Gamecocks, Maryland Terrapins, and Rutgers Scarlet Knights, as well as the Florida Gators and Michigan Wolverines, among 16 total offers.

From Tomahawk Nation’s NoleThruandThru:

The most enigmatic prospect visiting this weekend, Holmes is a 6’6”, 240 pound defensive end prospect from Gonzaga High School in Washington, DC. He has already visited Maryland, Rutgers, and South Carolina this month and will be back on campus for the first time since he swung through in early April. I would think that Mike Locksley has prioritized him for the Terrapins.

Holmes says very little publicly about his recruitment and is also looking hard at UF and Michigan. He is a powerful edge rusher and uses his long stride and understanding of angles in pursuit of ball carriers, though he dives and tackles running backs by the legs a bit too often. His film shows that he has some solid technique already and can shed blocks fairly well, able to get pressure whether standing or keeping his hand on the ground pre-snap.”

It looks like Holmes will need to reshape his body when he gets into a strength and conditioning program (not uncommon for linemen), but he has all the makings of a solid contributor at the P5 level at worst, and a multi-year productive starter at best. Credit coach John Papuchis with this one. It will be interesting to see what Coach Storms does with him. It’s also nice to see FSU active in the DMV area again.

Knight chose the Seminoles over the hometown Miami Hurricanes as well as a dozen other offers from the likes of the Illinois Fighting Illini, Iowa Hawkeyes, Louisville Cardinals, Minnesota Gophers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Pittsburgh Panthers, Texas A&M Aggies, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

From Tomahawk Nation’s NoleThruandThru:

Knight has quickly become one of my favorite defensive back prospects this cycle. He is a strong athlete who has experience playing wide receiver and defensive back. He also runs track for his school. Knight has looked excellent, even dominant at times, against very good competition on the camp circuit. An example? He neared double-digit interceptions in one day at the January 247 Sports National Combine. He’s also related to current teammate and fellow FSU target Kevin Levy, who plans to announce his commitment later in July.

I believe Knight is an underrated athlete who profiles best as a defensive back. He could cross-train at corner and safety at the next level. I’ve been a vocal proponent of FSU adding Knight for months, as he has shown his abilities on multiple camp and combine circuits. He isn’t afraid to match up against top wideouts, often skipping the line to match up against the best prospects. In a San Antonio camp half a year ago, Knight burst on the national scene when he racked up six interceptions in the one-on-one sessions against blue-chip QBs and WRs. Playing both ways for The Benjamin School helps Knight cerebrally against WRs, as he is a good route-runner himself. He shows great range, using his track speed to cover a lot of ground in a hurry, and he has the type of ballhawking ability coveted at the next level.

FSU, with 19 commits, currently has the No. 19 class in the country according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Some upcoming targets and their commitment dates include 4-star wide receivers James Madison and Elijah Moore, as well as tight end Kylan Fox, on July 4 and defensive back Kevin Levy on July 15.

You can catch up on all the latest Florida State football recruiting news and pick the brains of our recruiting staff in the latest edition of our recruiting thread.

QUARTERBACK: 4 star Luke Kromenhoek (GA)

RUNNING BACK: 4 star Kam Davis (GA)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Camdon Frier (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Tawaski “TJ” Abrams (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Lawayne McCoy (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star BJ Gibson (GA)

TIGHT END: 5 star Landen Thomas (GA)

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4 star DD Holmes (DC)

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3 star Jamorie Flagg (FL)

LINEBACKER: 3 star Jayden Parrish (FL)

DEFENSIVE BACK: 4 star Ricky Knight III

DEFENSIVE BACK: 3 star CJ Heard (GA)

KICKER: 3 star Jake Weinberg (FL)

Football

DraftKings currently has FSU with the 7th-best odds to win the 2023 national championship and as the co-favorite to win the ACC Championship.

It has Florida State’s win total set at 10 wins, with +1800 odds to win the national championship and +165 to win the ACC Championship. Meanwhile, ESPN’s SP+ rankings have the Seminoles ranked No. 10, with the No. 19 offense and No. 14 defense — additionally, its simulations project the Seminoles’ average record as 9.3-6.4. Its FPI rankings, which have Florida State at No. 14, give FSU a 0.3% chance at winning the national championship (1.1% of making it), a 4.4% chance at making the playoffs, a 98.5% chance of reaching six wins, and a predicted finish of 8.7 – 3.5.

2023 Florida State football schedule

Sunday, September 3: LSU Tigers (Orlando)

Vegas Pick: LSU -2.5

Last matchup: FSU win, 24-23

Saturday, September 9: Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Saturday, September 16: at Boston College Eagles

Saturday, September 23: at Clemson Tigers

Vegas Pick: Clemson -2.5

Last matchup: Clemson win, 34-28

Saturday, September 30: BYE

Saturday, October 7: Virginia Tech Hokies

Saturday, October 14: Syracuse Orange

Saturday, October 21: Duke Blue Devils

Saturday, October 28: at Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Saturday, November 4: at Pittsburgh Panthers

Saturday, November 11: Miami Hurricanes

Vegas Pick: FSU -16.5

Last matchup: FSU win, 45-3

Saturday, November 18: North Alabama Lions

Saturday, November 25: at Florida Gators

Vegas Pick: FSU -9.5

Last matchup: FSU win, 45-38

Basketball