A peek at the offensive line board following Aliou Bah's decommitment
Florida State's 2022 recruiting class took a hit on Saturday night when three-star offensive lineman Aliou Bah elected to back off of his commitment to the Seminoles. Bah had been committed since May but those who keep up with recruiting weren't surprised by this move. There's been some chatter dating back to the summer that the Tennessee native wasn't firm in his pledge and that came to fruition this weekend.
READ MORE: IMG OL decommits from Florida State
That said, FSU got off to a successful start to its recruiting on the offensive line and still have five prospects committed. A major key moving forward will be holding on to OT Jaylen Early, OT Daughtry Richardson, OT Antavious Woody, OG Qae'Shon Sapp, and OG Kanaya Charlton. Woody has been trending to Auburn but the other four are solid.
The Seminoles would still like to add another player or two along the offensive line depending on if Woody flips.
Here's a look at a few options on the board with Early Signing Day right around the corner.
Uncommitted Targets
1. Julian Armella
The top uncommitted target remaining on the board is without a doubt four-star offensive tackle Julian Armella. Head coach Mike Norvell was on the sidelines at Armella's high school game on Saturday and he's a Florida State legacy. He can play on the outside or inside for the 'Noles.
READ MORE: WATCH: No. 1 prospect discusses commitment to Florida State on ESPN
The main battle has been with LSU but it likely works in the Seminoles' favor with the recent news that Ed Orgeron is out at the end of the season. Miami and Florida are also involved in Armella's recruitment. He'll be back in Tallahassee in November for the matchup with the Hurricanes.
2. Matthew McCoy
McCoy is a new name to know after picking up an offer from Florida State on October 2 during his unofficial visit for the Syracuse game. Norvell personally offered him inside of the locker room and he spoke about that experience with NoleGameday here. Offensive line coach Alex Atkins visited McCoy last Wednesday and the staff is in the process of scheduling him for an official visit.
The in-state product has also unofficially visited Florida and will take an official visit to Gainesville in December. He plans to be at Ole Miss for an official visit next weekend. The Gators seem to have the early lead but the rising offensive lineman could stretch out his recruitment until February so there's plenty of time for FSU to catch up.
3. Jacarrius Peak
Peak is another player that has popped up on the radar after a solid start to his senior season. The coaching staff have been communicating with him but have not pulled the trigger on an offer to this point. That might change following Bah's decommitment.
The Georgia native has picked up offers from LSU, Virginia Tech, Louisville, NC State, and many others this fall. His recruitment is just getting started but he did grow up with Florida State as his dream school. Peak has communicated to NoleGameday that he plans to visit Tallahassee later this season but a date hasn't been set in stone.
4. Trent Ramsey
These last two options on the uncommitted list might be more of a stretch but that just shows how thin the board is at this time. Ramsey visited Florida State over the summer for the Mega Camp and has held an offer from the staff since 2020. He started off his high school career in Arizona before moving to Florida.
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Ramsey officially visited West Virginia, Cal, and Indiana in June. He has two official visits remaining and it sounds like Mississippi State will get one of them. It's expected that Ramsey will sign in December.
5. Molik Mason
A recruit with an interesting story, Mason was born in Florida before moving to Jamaica at a young age. His family then spent time in Alabama and Virginia, and are now back in the Yellowhammer state as Mason plays his senior season at Auburn High School.
Florida State's staff was evaluating him over the offseason but haven't offered yet. Mason has some upside with his physical attributes and 6-foot-6, 280-pound frame. He also plays defensive line.
Targets that are committed elsewhere
1. Elijah Pritchett
Pritchett committed to Alabama in September but don't expect Florida State to give up on this recruitment. The coaching staff has remained in contact with the top-100 prospect and they'll ride this thing out until the end to try and get a flip.
Atkins has a great relationship with Pritchett and the Seminoles can offer early playing time. It's not likely but stranger things have happened in recruiting.
2. Brian Grant
The Seminoles extended Grant an offer after his performance at the Mega Camp in June. The Florida native had previously committed to Tennessee in May and has remained solid in that pledge. His only visit during the season has been to Knoxville.
There hasn't been much talk surrounding Grant in Florida State's recruiting circle as of late. He's a local prospect that might be worth revisiting.
3. Emery Jones
Florida State was right in the thick of this recruitment when Jones elected to stay in-state and commit to LSU. However, with Orgeron out of the picture, it'll be interesting to see how firm his pledge is.
It would be in the Seminoles' best interest to kick the tires on the massive Jones.
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