Florida State keeps it "straight up" with 2023 DL Ka'Shawn Thomas
Florida State held its second slate of visits of the 2022 offseason this past weekend and there were some talented prospects in attendance.
2023 defensive tackle Ka'Shawn Thomas made the trek down to Tallahassee from Brunswick alongside fellow 2023 recruits, defensive end Jamal Meriweather and athlete Jayden Drayton. One of the parts of the visit that stood out the most was his first meeting with defensive line coach Odell Haggins.
"What stood out the most is how the defensive line coach [Odell Haggins] is so real with you," Thomas said. "He doesn't sugarcoat anything with you. He tells you what you need to work on in your game and what you're doing great in your game."
"This is my first time today talking to him," Thomas continued. "He's a good dude. He's straight up with you. Old school coach for like 29 years."
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This was Thomas' first chance to get a look at Florida State's campus. He liked the academic presentation and how they went over NIL deals.
"The stadium, the academic program that they've got, they give results on you every week to the coaches so that shows how big they are on academics," Thomas said. "Probably the biggest things were the academics and how they go over NIL deals."
Towards the end of the visit, the Georgia native sat down with coach Norvell. He enjoyed how Norvell kept it real during their conversation.
"He told me that he's looking for people that want to work hard," Thomas said. "If you don't want to work hard this is not the place for you. He kept it straight up."
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The Seminoles are recruiting Thomas as an interior defensive lineman. He doesn't have a favorite right now but Florida State is in a good position due to its coaching staff.
"I like it a lot," Thomas said. "I like coach Norvell, he's a good dude. I like coach Haggins, I like him a lot too."
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The 6-foot-2, 315-pound defensive lineman is a former teammate of current Florida State true freshman offensive lineman Kanaya Charlton. It made Thomas feel even more comfortable to have Charlton as his host this weekend.
"It's important," Thomas said. "I'm here evaluating coaches and they're evaluating me. He's actually telling me that it's true what they're telling me."
Along with the Seminoles, Auburn, South Carolina, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech are a few teams that are recruiting Thomas the hardest right now. He will visit the Yellow Jackets this weekend and plans to return to Florida State as soon as possible.
Stick with NoleGameday for updates on Florida State's recruiting over the next few months.
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