Florida State has been completely honest with 2023 OT Payton Kirkland

While the majority of visitors last weekend came in on Saturday, there were a few prospects that came in the following day. 2023 offensive tackle Payton Kirkland and a group of his high school teammates arrived at Florida State on Sunday morning. Though the visit was just a few hours long, Kirkland said the Seminoles treated him right.

"It was beautiful today [Sunday], they definitely treated us right," Kirkland said. "I got to have a great conversation with coach Atkins and the staff, met with coach Norvell, things of that sort."

The trip gave him an opportunity to spend ample time with offensive line coach Alex Atkins. Kirkland enjoyed listening to his message.

"To figure out who is real," Kirkland said. "He's not telling me to come here, he's not telling me to go anywhere else, he's just guiding me within my process and allowing me to figure out things for myself."

The Florida native also sat down with head coach Mike Norvell for a meeting in his office. Norvell's talk included some information on what Kirkland can expect academically out of the Seminoles.

"Really about the same deal," Kirkland said. "He took more of the school route because I'm planning to major in civil engineering. Just giving me some of the classes that it's going to take for me to get my master's while I'm here.

Kirkland appreciates the genuine approach that the coaching staff is taking with him. Florida State doesn't want to sell him on something, they want to offer him an opportunity.

"Being at FSU, it's always been a school that's been completely honest with me," Kirkland said. "Even today, that made it even more clear to me that they're a really honest program. The first thing coach Atkins said to me is 'I'm not trying to tell you where to go. I'm not trying to sell myself to you.' and coach Norvell said the same thing, he wants to give me an opportunity."

On this visit, Atkins clarified that they see the 6-foot-6, 340-pound offensive lineman as a guard at the college level. That's not a problem with Kirkland, who can flex out to right tackle as well.

"I really do see myself playing guard in the future," Kirkland said. "If it's needed, I'll play tackle as well."

Though Florida State was not a part of Kirkland's top-seven in December, the staff made up some ground after this visit. Kirkland is looking to release a top-5 in about a week and he's been coy about who will make the cut. As of now, he's not sure when he'll be back in Tallahassee. The only other trip he has scheduled at the moment is to Oklahoma in April. No timeframe for a decision.

Stick with NoleGameday for more on Kirkland throughout his upcoming senior season.

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