No. 1 tight end set to choose between Florida State, Alabama, Texas, and others
Florida State's 2022 recruiting class is essential to the Seminoles turning the program around under head coach Mike Norvell. Sitting at No. 11 in the country with 18 commitments, the class currently includes crown jewel and No. 1 player Travis Hunter, defensive back Sam McCall, No. 11 quarterback AJ Duffy, and many others.
READ MORE: QB commit AJ Duffy "locked in all the way" with Florida State
While the slow start on the field has drawn the ire of the fanbase, this coaching staff dominated the offseason. They landed multiple talented prospects and are firmly in the race for some of the top players in the country with December's Early Signing Period approaching. Can they finish?
Four-star tight end Jaleel Skinner announced earlier this week that he'd be making his commitment on Friday, October 8 at 3:30 EDT. There are six schools in the hunt; Florida State, Alabama, Texas, Clemson, Miami, and Florida. During the summer, Skinner eliminated the Gators in a top-5 but it looks like they will have a hat on the table.
"I’ve been a Florida State fan since I was a young kid, always been a diehard," Skinner said to NoleGameday in the spring. "Another thing is the coaching staff, those guys are like a family down there, they always stay in touch with me.”
This is a recruitment that Florida State put a ton of work into. He unofficially visited campus on June 1 for midnight madness and after that, it felt like Skinner was FSU's to lose. At the time, a source informed me that he had silently committed. Confidence only continued to grow when it was learned that Skinner would play his senior season at IMG Academy alongside Seminole quarterback commit AJ Duffy.
READ MORE: Wide receiver with ties to FSU staff member enters Transfer Portal
Then, his official visit to Tallahassee for the Notre Dame game happened. Following the trip, multiple sources informed NoleGameday that it didn't go so well, to say the least. It's been pretty quiet in regards to Skinner on our end since then and we have reason to believe that both parties have moved on from each other.
It's unfortunate because the South Carolina native grew up an FSU fan and was leaning towards the 'Noles this summer but that's the way recruiting goes. It's simply unpredictable.
READ MORE: Florida State Seminoles release depth chart for North Carolina Tar Heels
That said, there are two teams that have continued to stand out in this recruitment, Alabama and Texas. Skinner officially visited both schools during the summer and likes aspects of each program. New head coach Steven Sarkisian has made Skinner a consistent priority while Alabama is, well, Alabama.
From what we've heard this week, it sounds like confidence is building for the Crimson Tide. It's hard to turn down the legendary Nick Saban. I personally have Skinner pegged to Texas, more on a gut feeling than anything. It seemed like he was blown away by his visit to Austin a few months ago.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound tight end is ranked as the No. 36 overall prospect and the No. 1 TE in the 2022 class according to SI All-American.
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