Florida State on the rise for four-star TE Walter Matthews following Junior Day visit

The Seminoles have had their ups and downs over the past few recruiting cycles with landing tight ends from the high school level. In the 2023 class, Florida State landed two transfers at the position after missing out on a couple of targets and losing a commitment at the high school level.

Moving on to the next cycle, there is some early optimism that FSU will be able to land a blue-chip prospect in the 2024 class. Over the last two weeks, the 'Noles have already hosted two top tight ends in five-star prospect Landen Thomas and four-star prospect Walter Matthews.

On Saturday, Matthews made his way to Tallahassee to check out the final Junior Day of January.

"It was a great environment. I like coach Thomsen a lot," Matthews said to NoleGameday's Dustin Lewis. "We were looking on film, basically how he uses the tight ends, what else they run, and how they utilize them in the offense."

"The way they do stuff, their process, I like coach Thomsen a lot," Matthews continued. "It made me way more interested in this school than what I used to be."

The Georgia native has been building a relationship with tight ends coach Chris Thomsen, who is primary recruiter and actually escorted him into the event on Saturday morning. Thomsen has been working to get Matthews to campus for a while. The two speak nearly every day.

"He just talks about like how he's been trying to get me to campus for a long time. He's been just pushing me to come to campus and check out this place."

During the trip, Matthews sat down with coach Thomsen to watch film on how Florida State utilizes its tight ends. He was impressed by how involved the unit is in the offense.

"They get a lot of touches," Matthews said. "They get opportunties with the ball. They run screens, they run out-routes with them."

Prior to the conclusion of the visit, Matthews was able to meet with head coach Mike Norvell in his office. He noted that Norvell's energy was off the charts during their conversation.

"He talked about what type of player you need to be to be in this program," Matthews said. "He asked me a question about if I'm committed to the team and stuff like that, if I'm committed to football."

Matthews is still processing where Florida State sits in his recruitment following this unofficial visit. At the very least, they're on the rise on his list.

"I don't know. I need to think about it. They're on the rise right now for me. At least after this."

Outside of the Seminoles, Matthews says that Alabama, Ohio State, USC, Michigan, and other programs are making him a priority. He plans to visit the Buckeyes and Trojans during the offseason.

Matthews wants to get back to Florida State in the spring to watch the staff, specifically coach Thomsen work with their respective position groups. He is likely going to bring his dad with him on that trip.

The 6-foot-5, 259-pound tight end is regarded as the No. 122 overall prospect, the No. 5 TE, and the No. 21 recruit in the state of Georgia in the 2024 class according to 247Sports.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 offseason

Follow NoleGameday on Twitter and Facebook