FSU TE commit Brian Courtney "as strong as ever" with the 'Noles
Time has seemingly been flying by since the spring. Tight end Brian Courtney has been committed to Florida State for over five months and is already partly through his senior season.
The Independence product has seen his high school get off to a swift 3-0 start.
“It’s going good so far," Courtney said to NoleGameday's Dustin Lewis. "3-0, the first team had to forfeit due to covid. The next two games, we won 49-20 and then 42-6. It’s been pretty good so far. I only played the first half in the second game and three quarters in the other game because we were rolling.”
A jack of all trades, Courtney plays quarterback, defensive end, and linebacker for the Tigers. One reason that the coaching staff fell in love with his game is because of his versatility. Courtney is planning to get some looks at tight end this year too.
“I’m sticking at quarterback mostly," Courtney said. "We’ve got a package where I play some tight end so hopefully we work that in some. It’ll basically be to get some film and practice a bit but mostly quarterback for this year. I’ll be on defense too. If it’s third and long I’ll normally go defensive end and I’ll play some outside linebacker. I haven’t this year yet because we’ve been blowing teams out but in closer games, I will.”
Florida State hosted 11 official visitors earlier this month for the Notre Dame, including six current commitments. It was Courtney's first chance to witness a game inside of Doak Campbell Stadium and he was blown away by the atmosphere.
“That was great," Courtney said. "That game was packed and it was great to see them come back in the fourth quarter. Everything was exciting. Talking to all of the coaches, all of the recruits, it was a great time.”
“I was blown away," Courtney continued. "I’ve only been to a couple of college games and had never been to a Florida State game. It was even crazier than I expected, even louder. Seeing everyone do the chop in the fourth quarter was pretty nuts.”
The Virginia native also shared his thoughts on the Seminoles loss to Jacksonville State. According to him, #Tribe22 isn't panicking just yet.
“Obviously, it was a little disappointing," Courtney said. "I think if they played that team ten times, they would win nine of those. As far as the recruits, we’ve all talked and we’re all good. We all trust the coaches, we all see how our class can change the program around and bring it back.”
“We pretty much just said that we’re going to be the class that brings it back," Courtney continued. "I think they all trust the coaches and the staff so no one was panicking. We knew that we’re gonna go in there and be the class to help change things. There’s no panic.”
As for his commitment, Courtney is locked into Florida State. His relationship with head coach Mike Norvell, offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, and tight ends coach Chris Thomsen is a big factor in his recruitment.
“It’s as strong as ever," Courtney said. "Watching the Notre Dame was great, definitely a positive experience there. Jacksonville State was a little disappointing but like I said, I trust the coaching staff. I’ve built a lot of relationships with them and I’m solid.”
Courtney intends to sign with the Seminoles in December and enroll in January. It's possible that he returns to Tallahassee for another game this fall but he's unsure as of now.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound athlete is ranked as the No. 918 overall prospect, the No. 71 athlete, and the No. 28 recruit in the state of Virginia in the 2022 class according to 247Sports.
NoleGameday will continue to keep up with Courtney and his commitment to Florida State leading up to the Early Signing Period.
