BREAKING: Florida State Lands South Florida DB Over Florida, Michigan State, And Others
Florida State's resurgence on the field over the last two years has opened up a world of possibilities on the recruiting trail. The coaching staff has reeled in a number of elite prospects while establishing a foothold in the Sunshine State and Peach State. That's led to recruits who might have not been attainable in the past to give the Seminoles a true shot.
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On Friday, four-star cornerback Jamari Howard announced that he was committing to Florida State over Florida, Michigan State, Rutgers, and Maryland. Howard is the fourth blue-chip defensive back to pledge to the Seminoles and first-year defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr.
That's saying something because FSU only signed five composite blue-chip prospects in the defensive backfield over the previous four recruiting cycles (2020-23) under head coach Mike Norvell. They are on the verge of bringing in one of the best defensive back classes in program history with five-star safety KJ Bolden, five-star cornerback Charles Lester III, four-star cornerback Ricky Knight III, and three-star cornerback CJ Heard all pledged in #Tribe24.
The Seminoles have put a lot of effort into Howard's recruitment over the last year and change. Despite his pledge to Michigan State in November, Florida State continued to prioritize the South Florida product and kept getting him on campus. It paid off in the end as Howard was in Tallahassee twice throughout the offseason, watched the season-opening victory in Orlando, and is expected in Doak Campbell Stadium to watch FSU take on Miami this weekend.
"They're coming up. Florida State, a couple years they were a little down bad but they're coming up," Howard said to NoleGameday previously. "I feel great. I feel good. I just feel like I could probably play here."
This is a big win for the Seminoles on the trail and it's a little sweeter to beat out one of their top rivals in the process. Howard fits the mold as a long, rangy, and physical prospect to fit into FSU's defensive backfield.
The South Florida native is playing out his senior season at Miami Norland Senior High. Howard has totaled 30 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception, and one blocked kick in nine appearances.
With Howard's pledge, the Seminoles are up to 23 verbal commitments in #Tribe24 with the class ranked No. 4 in the country.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound cornerback is regarded as the No. 91 overall prospect, the No. 7 CB, and the No. 14 in the state of Florida in the 2024 class according to 247Sports.
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Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.
