Many who check the SB Nation recuitng hub saw this Monday morning, but in case you missed it, I updated my National Signing Day predictions for SB Nation on the remaining uncommitted prospects. A lot of these have nothing to do with Florida State. But I figured I would share a few with you that do, and you can head on over to read the rest. I am three-for-three on these over the last week, for what it is worth.
Marlon Humphrey
The top uncommitted recruit is Marlon Humphrey, a five-star cornerback from Alabama. Listed at 6'1 and 175 pounds, the cornerback attends Hoover (Ala.) High School and is from Birmingham. He is listed as the 12th-best player in the country and the third-best corner in the class. He holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan State and South Carolina, among others.
Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst: Humphrey's dad Bobby was a star for the Crimson Tide, and son Marlon lives just down the road from Tuscaloosa. Humphrey did make his visit to Florida State two weekends ago, and is still enamored with FSU's track program, but the loss of defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt to Georgia is big, and it likely strengthens Alabama's chances of landing the corner. It is is very difficult to pick against the Tide and a chance to be coached by Nick Saban when a five-star Alabama legacy is concerned.
Lorenzo Carter
Lorenzo Carter is another big-time prospect available for the 2014 class. Listed at 6'5 and 232 pounds, he attends Norcross High School in Norcross, Ga. He is considered a five-star recruit, and is ranked as the 18th-best player in the class, as well as the second-best weak-side defensive end nationally among players in the class of 2014. He holds offers from Florida, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Florida State, among others.
Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst: Carter had an excellent visit to Florida State over the weekend, and Florida is still in this, but for now I am sticking with my pick of Georgia, as Carter will be visited Monday by Mark Richt, and still has his visit left to UGA this coming weekend. Geography and spending three of his next seven days with Georgia's staff is difficult to pick against.
Ermon Lane
Ermon Lane is back on the market after decommitting from Florida in January. The wide receiver is considered a five-star by the 247Sports Composite, ranking as the 24th-best prospect in the class. Lane is thought to be the third-best wide receiver and the fourth-best prospect in the talent-rich state of Florida. Listed at 6'3 and 193 pounds, he attends Homestead (Fla.) High School, and holds offers from Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Ohio State, among others.
Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst: At this point, I am not sure who to list as No. 2 for Lane behind the Seminoles. I expect him to follow his friend Dalvin Cook to Tallahassee and take advantage of some early playing time with Jameis Winston.
Roderick Johnson
Roderick Johnson is a four-star offensive tackle from Hazelwood Central (Mo.) High School who hails from Florissant. He is rated as the 124th-best player in the nation, the 14th-best offensive tackle and the second-best player in the state. Listed at 6'6 and 315 pounds, he holds offers from Florida State, Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan, among others.
Bud Elliott, National Recruiting Analyst: Florida State has been way out in front for quite a while here, making Johnson an early priority, and the feeling is that Johnson just wants to wait until National Signing Day to put on a hat. FSU folks are confident even after Johnson took his visit to Ohio State.
Read on for thoughts on Malachi Dupre, Malik McDowell and Derrick Nnadi.
I think FSU fans would be very happy with a class that added just Rojo and Lane. It would address FSU's needs and do so with a ton of talent. But I do think it will do better for this reason: upsets happen. A team that is an underdog of a touchdown or less in every game isn't going to finish the year 0-12. It will win a few of those games. The same goes for a team that is favored by a touchdown in each game: it will drop a few.
The same applies to recruiting. FSU is probably the underdog in the five other battles, ever so slightly. While there is no prize for second place, I would be surprised if FSU only grabbed Lane and RoJo. I think Lane, Rojo and 1-2 more of Humphrey, Carter, Dupre, McDowell and Nnadi is the most likely scenario. Grabbing five or more of that group of seven would be absolutely ridiculous, but I do think that is in play. I am just not all that confident in any one upset pick at this point (though if I had to go with one, it would be Nnadi, because Virginia Tech is not quite as tough a competitor in recruiting as Alabama, LSU. As I said, "Tech over FSU, ever so slightly"). FSU is truly in every one of these seven recruitments. Maybe word will come down before National Signing Day that has FSU as a very strong favorite for one or two of the five other than Lane and RoJo.
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