Feb 1, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Marvin Wilson talks with the media after signing with the Florida State Seminoles at Episcopal High School. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
FSU football brought in a outstanding 2017 recruiting class. We take a look at the superlatives for one of the nations best group of players.
FSU football recruiting had fans a bit uneasy about halfway through the recruiting cycle. However, Jimbo Fisher closed like he always does to land another stellar class.
They didn’t have the National Signing Day closing they wanted, but they still got the No. 1 player on their board in Marvin Wilson to finish with the No. 6 overall class.
Here’s a run down of superlatives for the 2017 class:
Biggest Surprise – Hamsah Nasirildeen
Last season the biggest surprise was FSU football pulling four-star linebacker Dontavious Jackson out of Texas on National Signing Day.
This season, the surprise came earlier when it looked like the ‘Noles were not going to add another quality safety alongside Cyrus Fagan. Daniel Wright flipped to Alabama earlier in the recruiting cycle and Maleik Gray could not be woo’ed to visit FSU, and decided to stick with his Tennessee commitment.
Then Jimbo Fisher pulled a Jimbo Fisher and flipped four-star safety/linebacker Hamsah Nasirildeen from South Carolina a week and a half before National Signing Day.
Nasirildeen was a huge flip as he filled a big need at safety, and has the tools to do some of the things Derwin James does.
This was a classic case of getting Nasirildeen to camp at FSU and keeping the lines of communication open after he decided to commit to South Carolina.
Nov 11, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles fans cheer their team against the Boston College Eagles at Doak Campbell Stadium. Florida State won 45-7. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports
Best Announcement- Khalan Laborn
Getting the big surprise announcement on National Signing Day from Marvin Wilson was great. However, nothing topped what five-star running back Khalan Laborn did for his FSU football commitment announcement.
Just check the video below:
Come on son? Pulling up in a Lambo at The Opening making dozens of other elite players watch as you commit?
Priceless. Oh wait, it gets better as just minutes after his commitment Laborn jukes a defender out of his shoes twice in one-on-one drills to put his stamp on the day.
Nov 11, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Boston College Eagles wide receiver Michael Walker (3) picks up a fourth quarter first down against the Florida State Seminoles before being tackled at Doak Campbell Stadium. Florida State won 45-7. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Beil-USA TODAY Sports
Best Name- Hamsah Nasirildeen
The 2017 class had a number of run of the mill standard names like Alexander, Brady, Cory and James.
It also featured some cool unique names like Zaquandre, Khalan, Tamorrian, Ontaria and DeCalon.
There weren’t any cool nicknames like Jesus “Bobo” Wilson or Javon “Pig” Harrison. However, there was one player with a name that you’ll remember for two reasons.
It’s extremely different and he has a chance to be a hell of a player for FSU football.
That’s four-star safety signee Hamsah Nasirildeen. Not only is his first name unique, but his last name is too.
Imagine commentators rolling that name off the tongue after he lays the wood to a receiver coming across the middle.
The uniqueness of the name also makes it easy to give him a cool nickname. I’m partial to “Nas” since that was my favorite rapper growing up and it fits nicely here.
Feb 1, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Marvin Wilson announces he will sign with the Florida State Seminoles at Episcopal High School. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Most Needed-Marvin Wilson
FSU football already have commitments from the two best defensive tackle recruits in the state of Florida going into National Signing Day. However, the addition of Marvin Wilson made it arguably the best defensive line haul in the nation.
FSU has decent depth at the defensive tackle position, but needed a top-tier player to replace Derrick Nnadi who will exhaust his eligibility after the 2017 season.
Marvin Wilson is that type of player who could crack the two-deep rotation as a true freshman, and be an impact player by his sophomore year provided he gets into better shape.
The FSU football staff dumped a lot of time and effort into Wilson’s recruitment being that he hailed from the state of Texas. He’s the second blue chip recruit from that state to call FSU home in the past two recruiting cycles (Dontavious Jackson).
It now looks like FSU has in-roads there now as they’ve already identified several Texas recruits for the 2018 class.
Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles Chief Osceola holds his spear above his head before the game against the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Biggest Upside- James Blackman
Players that are 6’5 with a cannon for an arm don’t appear too often, but that’s the case with three-star recruit James Blackman.
Blackman has all the physical tools to be an outstanding quarterback at FSU. He can make all the throws and should be a good fit for Jimbo Fisher’s offensive scheme.
However, he needs to add weight to his wiry frame and dig into the playbook as soon as he arrives on campus in a few months. He will not have the benefit of enrolling early like FSU’s other quarterback signee Bailey Hockman.
Blackman’s offensive line in high school was poor and he was often running for his life while still putting up excellent stats. It’ll be interesting to see how he progresses the next year or so after more than likely a red-shirt freshman season.
He could be ready to challenge for the starting job in 2019 at the latest if he develops the way we think he can.
Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12), defensive end Demarcus Walker (44), and running back Dalvin Cook (4) celebrate after the Seminoles beat the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Best Recruiters- Stanford Samuels III and Cam Akers
The FSU staff did an excellent job of piecing the 2017 class together. They had early commitments from some key players, and then huge commitments from bell cow players to influences others.
Probably two of the most important players in this class were five-star recruits Stanford Samuels III and Cam Akers.
Samuels is a FSU legacy and committed to FSU in June 2016 which provided some momentum for the recruiting class over the summer. Samuels played a huge role in getting Cam Akers to commit to FSU in December.
Akers then played a big role in getting other talented players to commit to FSU football, including five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson.
These players were recruiting hard for FSU football at all of the All-Star events as well as on social media during dead periods that prevented the coaches from doing so.
Oct 31, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Miami Hurricanes fans cheer on their team against the Duke Blue Devils in their game at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Worst Miss-Navaughn Donaldson
Four-star offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson liked FSU football and flirted heavily with the ‘Noles even though he was committed the Miami Hurricanes.
It was thought for a long time that FSU would eventually be able to flip Donaldson from Miami. Donaldson hailed from Miami Central High School, the same school that produced FSU legend Dalvin Cook.
He visited FSU as late as November 2016, which was important since he was planning to enroll early at whichever school he ultimately chose.
However, the FSU staff were not able to secure another visit and Miami was able to hang on to the talented offensive lineman. FSU didn’t have a huge need for offensive linemen in the 2017, but being able to snag Donaldson would have been a huge coup.
Not to mention it would have meant stealing a talented player from under Miami’s nose.
Dec 30, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Florida State defensive coach Odell Haggins celebrates during the final seconds of their game against Michigan Wolverines at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Best Get-Cam Akers, Marvin Wilson and Joshua Kaindoh
FSU football landed so many elite players that I could choose just one for this category. In fact, these three players all ranked among the top 10 players for the entire 2017 class.
- Cam Akers- 5-star, No 1 RB, No. 2 player overall
- Marvin Wilson- 5-star, No. 1 DT, No. 4 player overall
- Joshua Kaindoh- 5-star, No. 3 DE, No. 9 player overall
All three players are from out-of-state, and the No. 1 player overall in their state (Kaindoh is from Maryland put played football at IMG in Florida his final season).
These three players will be the cornerstones to potential FSU football championships in the future.
Akers has a chance to replace Dalvin Cook. Marvin Wilson will have the chance to replace Derrick Nnadi and Joshua Kaindoh will have the chance to replace DeMarcus Walker.
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