Florida State signed 17 prospects from the high school or junior college ranks, coupled with multiple transfers, during the Early Signing Period. That means the Seminoles are all but done with their recruiting efforts in the 2023 class as the traditional National Signing Day rolls around on Wednesday, February 1.
With that being, there are still a few names on the board, including 2023 linebacker and late-bloomer Dylan Brown-Turner, who picked up an offer from Florida State near the conclusion of December.
After initially communicating with tight ends coach Chris Thomsen, who has ties to Texas, linebackers coach Randy Shannon extended Brown-Turner the scholarship offer over the phone. It came as an unexpected surprise.
“The first coach that actually texted me was coach CT [Chris Thomsen]. He texted me in the morning, he just told me to send him my phone number. I really didn’t think too much of it at the time,” Brown-Turner said to NoleGameday’s Dustin Lewis. “So I sent him my number and like an hour or two later I got a text from coach Shannon. I talked to him multiple times throughout the day, pretty much talked to him the whole day. The last conversation we had was when he extended me an offer. We talked for almost an hour. Me, my mom, my dad, talked to him.”
“It was just kind of real surprising to me, kind of shocking,” Brown-Turner continued. “That was just my kind of feeling about it. It was real unexpected.”
The Seminoles evaluated Brown-Turner in person back in the spring but communication between the two parties didn’t heat up until recently.
“I probably talked to them a couple of times before because I know they came up to my school and they watched me practice. The first time I actually talked to them was probably last spring,” Brown-Turner said. “They came to our spring practice and watched me move around. I talked to them in person. Leading up to the offer, I never really had a over the phone type of conversation it was mostly all in person.”
Since then, Florida State has made it clear that Brown-Turner is a priority for the program. They’ve been reaching out every day over the past couple of weeks to try and build a relationship.
“Really the consistency of contact. Even for them offering me pretty late into the recruiting period, they’ve been contacting me and calling and texting me every day,” Brown-Turner said. “It’s like they offered me since my junior year or the start of this year. That kind of impressed me a lot.”
Coach Shannon recently dropped in on the Texas native for an in-home visit. Shannon met with Brown-Turner, his parents, and his uncle. They were able to speak about football for one of the first times since they had begun communicating.
“It was great. When he came by and we had a sit-down conversation, that may have been the first time me and coach Shannon actually got to talk about football. Usually whenever we talk on the phone or over a text, it’s mostly about how I’m doing as a person, not really how I’m doing as a football player,” Brown-Turner said. “We kind of talked about how the school life would be, adjusting to the athletic schedule, a little background about him and who he’s coached, his coaching career. Then I got to go into detail about me, throughout all my years playing football. My mom, my dad, and my uncle was there so it was good to have a conversation with all of them.”
Brown-Turner is coming off a standout senior season after missing the majority of the previous year with a broken ankle. He recorded 120 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception in 14 games in 2022. The Seminoles see him as an athletic linebacker who can move sideline to sideline with clear upside.
Scroll to Continue
“Coach Shannon actually told me as far as size-wise right now I’m right along with the linebackers on the roster. My size fits in with everybody else,” Brown-Turner said. “He told me that I’m a really athletic type of linebacker. Long, rangy, I move well in space. He said I have great upside and when he’s watching my film I have room still to fill out, upper body, lower body, things like that.”
Back in the spring, Brown-Turner elected to commit to North Texas. He’s held strong in that pledge since March despite the Mean Green firing the head coach he committed to, Seth Littrel, and hiring Eric Morris from Washington State.
“I have a great relationship with the coaching staff there already. I talk to them quite a bit,” Brown-Turner said. “Coach Moore, talk to him almost every day. Coach Kratch, coach Gary, coach Caponi. Their new staff that they have is a really nice staff.”
Outside of the Seminoles, Arizona State and Texas State are two other schools that have started to pursue Brown-Turner late in the recruiting cycle. It’s possible that he checks out one of the programs this weekend but he’s locked in to be in Tallahassee next week.
“It can be done. I’d just have to find a way to fit in the visits in a short amount of time,” Brown-Turner said. “Really this weekend is my last weekend to fit in Texas State or Arizona State. But I already have Florida State locked in for next week.”
Florida State will host Brown-Turner and his family for an Official Visit that will begin on either Thursday or Friday. He plans to spend the full 48 hours meeting the coaches, viewing the campus, and experiencing the surrounding area for the first time in person.
“All I’m looking for is just being able to meet the rest of the staff, have a conversation with them in person,” Brown-Turner said. “Talk to coach Fuller and how I’ll fit in with the defense. Just really seeing if I can call it home or not.”
Though he’s been committed to North Texas for nine months and has an opportunity on the table to play close to home, Brown-Turner is giving the Seminoles a fair chance. Both parties will be able to learn much more about each other during the Official Visit.
“I kind of get that question a lot but as of right now I’m still committed. Right now I’m just seeing my other options but I’m still committed,” Brown-Turner said. “But if I have an option that’s going to present itself, it would only be fair to give them a chance.”
Florida State holds 17 high school/junior college signees and nine transfer portal signees in its 2023 class – which ranks No. 16 overall in the country according to 247Sports.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker is regarded as the No. 1311 overall prospect, the No. 113 LB, and the No. 222 recruit in the state of Texas in the 2022 class according to 247Sports.
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 offseason