Florida State 2012 Recruiting

Florida State Seminoles 2012 ... Head Coach: Jimbo Fisher

Florida State Seminoles

2011 Record: 9-4

Sept. 3 ULM W 34-0
Sept. 10 Char. South. W 62-10
Sept. 17 Oklahoma L 23-13
Sept. 24 at Clemson L 35-30
Oct. 1 OPEN DATE
Oct. 8 at Wake Forest L 35-30
Oct. 15 at Duke W 41-16
Oct. 22 Maryland W 41-16
Oct. 29 NC State W 34-0
Nov. 3 at Boston Coll.W 38-7
Nov. 12 Miami W 23-19
Nov. 19 Virginia L 14-13
Nov. 26 at Florida W 21-7
Champs Sports Bowl
Dec. 29 Notre Dame W 18-14

2010 CFN Prediction: 8-4
2010 Record: 10-4

Sept. 4 Samford W 59-6
Sept. 11 at Oklahoma L 47-17
Sept. 18 BYU W 34-10
Sept. 25 Wake Forest W 31-0
Oct. 2 at Virginia W 34-14
Oct. 9 at Miami W 45-17
Oct. 16 Boston College W 24-19
Oct. 23 OPEN DATE
Oct. 28 at NC State L 28-24
Nov. 6 North Carolina L 37-35
Nov. 13 Clemson L 16-13
Nov. 20 at Maryland W 30-16
Nov. 27 Florida W 31-7
ACC Championship
Dec. 4 Virginia Tech L 44-33
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Dec. 31 South Carolina W 26-17
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 The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Florida State Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DE Mario Edwards
6-4, 291, Scout.com 1st ranked, five-star defensive end. A dominating defensive end who will get pressure and make tackles and plays behind the line of scrimmage. He is well-schooled and much quicker and stronger than most of the players that he goes up against in high school. He has a motor that does not stop and that will help him make a quick adjustment to the college game. His best attribute is his ability to play well against the run. He has the strength to get off blocks and closes quickly.

2. CB Ronald Darby
5-11, 175, Scout.com 1st ranked, five-star cornerback. Darby has D1 track ability, but he's a football player running track, not vise-versa. He has better hip turn and change of direction than most track athletes enabling him to cover the shiftiest of receivers. He plays the game with a quiet confidence and doesn't feel the need to draw attention to himself, preferring to let his play do the talking. He is instinctive in coverage and makes the play when he's in position

3. QB Jameis Winston
6-4, 190, Scout.com 2nd ranked, five-star quarterback. There are many more strengths that could be added to Winston's Scouting Report because he has a lot of tools you like in a QB. Number one, he is a leader. The players listen to him, he leads them, and he has a lot of poise. He also has good arm strength, nice pocket presence, and he makes both quick and good decisions. His legs are a weapon as well. He can still improve his accuracy. He can be a streaky thrower.

4. DT Eddie Goldman
6-4, 315, Scout.com 4th ranked, five-star defensive tackle. Lightning quick hands help him keep offensive linemen off balance with a quick punch. Excellent balance makes him tough to cut block. Strong enough to hold his ground against a double team. His initial burst is off the charts, but he needs to do a better job of following plays going away from him rather than watching. Has good flexibility and pad level.Potential is limitless with his size and athleticism

5. RB Mario Pender
6-0, 210, Scout.com 6th ranked, five-star running back. Pender is an elite back that can stay on the field all three downs when he gets to the next level. He has learned to run with patience, how to set up his blocks and to allow holes to develop. Combining that patience with his explosiveness and acceleration is what makes him special. He has the size to run through tackles and the speed to beat defenders to the edge.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... This might not turn out to be the class last year’s was, but head coach Jimbo Fisher is playing with the biggest of big boys when it comes to bringing in the talent. He’s loading up on the lines, especially defensive end, with Mario Edwards the top end prospect in America, and Chris Casher and Dante Fowler not far behind. He’s looking for instant help from the JUCO ranks for the offensive line that needs a few more options, and he’s going hard after a few top quarterback prospects to be ready to fight for a job when E.J. Manuel is done next year.

Team Concerns For 2012: Playing up to the talent level. There’s no excuse this season to not be in the national title chase with a few outstanding recruiting classes setting the expectations high, and now the skill and experience are both in place to come up with a huge season. Improving the running game will be a priority, and developing Manuel into a top NFL prospect is a must, but that’s nitpicking. Everything is in place to do big things.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Let’s try this again. Florida State was just about everyone’s sleeper team to play for the national title last season, but the offense didn’t do enough in key situations and the D wasn’t special enough in the biggest games. This year, though, it’s time to really and truly be as good as projected thanks to a defense that won’t allow a thing. This could be the best Seminole defense in a decade only two players off the two deep depth chart done; no one will run on this line.

Offensively, quarterback EJ Manuel as the size and the skill set to go from good to top-ten-overall-draft-pick good, but he could use some help from the receivers. The running game was abysmal last year, but the line gets three starters back and Devonta Freeman is a promising young back to work around. Kicker Dustin Hopkins will be on the Lou Groza short list.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … High expectations. Florida State has done its normally strong job of recruiting over the past several years, but now with the transition of power well in the rearview mirror, the program is rocking on the recruiting trail. Jimbo Fisher did a nice job last year, but that was nothing compared to the haul he brought in this season led by defensive tackle Tim Jernigan, safety Karlos Williams, outside linebacker James Wilder, and offensive tackle Bobby Hart. They’ll be expected to be All-ACC stars in the near future, while JUCO transfer defensive tackle Cornellius Carradine is ready for right now. Position-wise, the defensive line got the most attention with a jaw-dropping group of players who should make the Noles a brick wall for the next four years. There might have been a few stunning losses here and there, including linebacker Stephone Anthony to Clemson, but this the program’s best class in a long, long time.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 12. That Class Was Heavy On ... Jimbo Fisher's ability. Any worries now that Florida State couldn't recruit quite as well without the Bobby Bowden touch? The transition turned out to be a plus as Fisher was able to sell stability to a slew of tremendous prospects that upgraded the team's talent level in a hurry. WR Christian Green was a steal from Florida and Georgia, while Kenny Shaw is the type of target to get excited about even if Green didn't sign. DT Darious Cummings was taken away from Florida and Auburn, defensive end Bjorn Werner was a key get for the line, and Jeff Luc is an NFL-ready defender who'll be the next great Seminole linebacker. Throw in star corner prospect Lamarcus Joyner and safety Greg Dent, and FSU did more than just fine.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 16. That Class Was Heavy On ... safeties. With their secondary going through a bit of an overhaul, the Seminoles focused on that unit, specifically the safeties. Florida State has signed four of them, two who rank among the ten best in the country at the position. Willie Downs and JaJuan Harley are outstanding talents, whose families won’t be traveling far on Saturdays. Both teens hail from Tallahassee, and decided some time ago to remain close to home.

2. Clemson | The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Clemson Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. S Travis Blanks
6-1, 194, Scout.com, 13th ranked, four-star safety. Blanks finished his junior season with 104 tackles and four interceptions. Offensively, he had 35 receptions for 356 yards and eight touchdowns. He also returned two punts for scores. He says he can bench 290-pounds, squat 335 and has a 33-inch vertical jump.

2. DT Carlos Watkins
6-4, 280, Scout.com 8th ranked, four-star defensive tackle.

3. WR Gemone Hopper
6-0, 166, Scout.com 20th ranked, four-star receiver.

4. S Ronald Geohaghan
6-1, 190, Scout.com 23rd ranked, four-star safety.

5. DE Martin Aiken
6-3, 250, Scout.com 24th ranked, four-star defensive end.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Lowered expectations. Head coach Dabo Swinney appears to be putting together another terrific class, but it’s asking for way too much to come up with an instant game-changer like Sammy Watkins. Even so, this receiving corps is about to get even better with a few good four-star types to be ready to roll when Watkins bolts for the NFL as soon as humanly possible. The defensive line will get the most attention and should be the strongest part of the haul.

Team Concerns For 2012: Consistency. After the awful last part of the season – outside of the ACC championship – the team needs to bring the effort and production week in and week out. That might be hard early on with three starters gone off the defensive front and three new starters on the offensive line. There’s an interesting blend of terrific young talents and decent veterans, and it all needs to blend fast in what could be another title run.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: How fast can the Tigers get over the atomic wedgie applied by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl? The offensive talent is undeniable with the pitch-catch combination of Tajh Boyd to Sammy Watkins one of the best in college football. However, the offensive line has to undergo an overhaul and tight end Dwayne Allen is about to become a millionaire at the next level. The defensive front has even more issues with tackle Brandon Thompson one of three starters gone, but almost everyone in the back seven returns. The recruiting has been stellar and the athleticism and skill is in place across the board to be in the hunt for the ACC title, but the league is going to be stronger as a whole.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … The passing game. After a few yeas of focusing mostly on the defense, the Tigers came up with something for the offense that struggled last year with three new quarterback prospects and several dangerous receivers with Sammy Watkins, a five-star talent with next-level upside, and Charone Peake and Martavis Bryant, two big, strong receivers who could be involved immediately. Eric MacLain is one of the nation’s top tight ends. Defensively, Corey Crawford isn’t Da’Quan Bowers, but he’s a pass rusher who might make some noise this year.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 21. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive backs. Dabo Swinney did a nice job loading up on defense, while also getting a few key pieces for the offense including receiver Martavis Bryant and tackle Reid Webster. Josh Watson and Corey Crawford should quickly become terrors for the defensive front, and Jake Nicolopulos Justin Parker will be key starters in the linebacking corps by 2012, but the strength is in the secondary where corners DeAndre Hopkins and Darius Robinson are speedy defenders with All-ACC potential. Bashaud Breeland is the key safety signing with excellent size and great range.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 45. That Class Was Heavy On ... ends. Even with Ricky Sapp and Da’Quan Bowers bringing quickness off the edge, Clemson had little luck getting to the quarterback in 2008. Malliciah Goodman and Spencer Shuey have been brought in to push the starters and kickstart a tired pass rush. Once he sharpens his fundamentals and adds a few more pounds, Goodman has the blazing speed and long arms to be a real nuisance to ACC quarterbacks.

Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State 18 … Notre Dame 14
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

Florida State: The Noles were held to 1.4 yards per carry. … E.J. Manuel completed 20-of-31 passes for 249 yards and two scores. … Devonta Freeman ran 13 times for 48 yards. … Rashad Greene made five catches for 99 yards and a score, along with a brilliant catch on his back. … Punter Shawn Powell averaged 47.2 yards per punt on eight kicks with two put inside the 20. …. LB Nigel Bradham made nine tackles with a pick and two broken up passes.

Notre Dame: The Irish made five sacks. … Tommy Rees completed 16-of-27 passes for 163 yards and a score with two picks. … Cierre Wood ran 18 times for 69 yards. … TE Tyler Eifert caught six passes for 90 yards, and Michael Floyd, before getting hurt, caught five passes for 41 yards with a juggling TD catch. … Manti Te’o made 13 tackles half a sack, forced a fumble that led to a score, and broke up a pass. ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Florida State rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit and used a pair of touchdown passes by E.J. Manuel and two field goals from Dustin Hopkins to slip past Notre Dame 18-14 in the Champs Sports Bowl on Thursday night.

The victory was FSU's fourth straight bowl win. FSU receiver Rashad Greene, who caught one of Manuel's touchdown passes, was named the game's MVP.

The No. 25 Seminoles started four freshman on their offensive line and gave up five sacks, but FSU's defense picked off Notre Dame quarterbacks Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix three times and also piled up four sacks of its own.

Notre Dame shuffled between Rees and Hendrix throughout the game, but both struggled to get the Irish points inside the red zone.

After some stagnant offense on both sides in the first half, FSU trailed 14-0 early in the third quarter before finding some momentum through the air.

The Seminoles closed the gap to 14-9 with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Manuel to Bert Reed to open the fourth quarter, but failed on their 2-point conversion attempt.

They took the lead just 1:32 later after Nigel Bradham intercepted a Hendrix pass inside the Notre Dame 20 to set up an 18-yard touchdown catch by Greene to make it 15-14 with just over 13 minutes to play following another failed 2-point try.

The Seminoles added their second field goal of the game a series later.

Notre Dame punted on its next touch, but pinned FSU inside its own 5 and forced a quick three-and-out.

A poor punt by the Seminoles and a face mask penalty on the return gave the Irish the ball on the FSU 28 with 3:56 to play, but Rees was picked off in the end zone with 2:48 left and FSU was able to all but run out the remaining clock.

Notre Dame took a 14-0 lead on its opening drive of the second half by capping a 9-play, 62-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Rees to Michael Floyd. Floyd fought Seminoles cornerback Greg Reid for the ball on to play, juggling it multiple times before finally getting his hands around it.

Reid stayed down on the turf after the play and left the game with concussion symptoms.

FSU bounced right back with a 77-yard kickoff return by Lamarcus Joyner, but Notre Dame's fifth sack of the night on Manuel helped force the Seminoles to settle for a 42-yard field goal by Hopkins.

Notre Dame's defense was responsible for the lone score of the first half.

The Irish forced a quick punt on FSU's opening possession of the game, and used a 41-yard return by Floyd and a series of runs by Cierre Wood to set up a first-and-goal inside the 5-yard line.

But the threat ended just a play later when Rees was picked off by Joyner in the end zone.

The Seminoles' ensuing drive lasted only one play itself, with Devonta Freeman fumbling a pass from Manuel into the hands of Notre Dame safety Zeke Motta, who then returned it 29 yards for the touchdown.

Both offenses struggled to find any traction in the opening 30 minutes.

Along with each team's turnovers, Florida State's offense gained only 104 total yards to Notre Dame's 91.

The Seminoles also failed to covert on any of their seven third-down attempts, while allowing four sacks. Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter was responsible for two of them, tying a bowl record.

FSU's special teams didn't fair too much better, coming up a yard short on a fake punt run midway through second quarter.

Nov. 26 Florida State 21 … at Florida 7  

Nov. 19 Virginia 14 … at Florida State 13
CFN Analysis: It’s official. Florida State’s season is a disappointment. There’s too much talent and too much athleticism to lose four games, and it should’ve been much sharper against a good, but not great Virginia. … Brandon Jenkins was a monster with six sacks and two sacks, and the defense held up against the run, but the offense didn’t help the cause with enough long, sustained drives. … The Noles got the breaks they needed to get late, but the normally reliable Dustin Hopkins didn’t produce in the clutch. A win over a bad Florida team and a bowl victory, though, would once against make FSU the hot team this offseason. 

Nov. 12 at Florida State 23 … Miami 19
CFN Analysis: Florida State committed ten penalties, but it didn’t turn the ball over and it didn’t make a whole slew of mistakes. However, it played just well enough to not get beat, and it almost got beat. The offense struggled in the second half managing just two field goals. … E.J. Manuel had an efficient game, even if he wasn’t making things happen on third down conversions. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 196 yards and a score. … Nigel Bradham was all over the field with a team-leading ten tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. … The Noles are on a five-game winning streak. Virginia might be a tougher battle than the regular-season finale against Florida.  

Nov. 3 Florida State 38 … at Boston College 7
CFN Analysis: E.J. Manuel didn’t make any big mistakes and had a smart, efficient game taking advantage of the early breaks and Boston College turnovers. Along with his rushing score he managed to complete 12-of-16 passes for 180 yards and three scores with two to Devonta Freeman to put the game away in the first half. The defense has been phenomenal over the last month against mediocre offenses, and it didn’t allow BC to find anything that worked. The line is dominating, and it should be able to get into the backfield on a regular basis next week against Miami. 

Oct. 29 at Florida State 34 … at NC State 0
CFN Analysis: This was Florida State’s most complete game of the season. The defense was dominant from the start, not allowing a thing on the ground, giving up just 36 rushing yards, while the secondary gave up a few short passes, but nothing big. E.J. Manuel was on fire, completed 25-of-34 passes for 321 yards and two scores as he picked apart a good NC State secondary. This is a third straight blowout win after the gaffe against Wake Forest, and next week shouldn’t be a problem against Boston College. As long as the lines keep playing this well, there won’t be any problem getting through the rest of the ACC slate unscathed. 

Oct. 22 at Florida State 41 … Maryland 16
CFN Analysis: This was a balanced effort to put away a struggling Maryland team right away, and for a Florida State offense that’s had problems getting physical, running for 218 yards and averaging five yards per carry was a great sign. Devonta Freeman showed flash in the fourth quarter to put the game away, and Jermaine Thomas came up with a great game averaging 9.6 yards per carry with a 35-yard touchdown. The offensive balance is coming around and the defense is coming off two straight great games. This was a second straight smooth and easy win over an overmatched team, after blowing away Duke two weeks ago, and if the running game can continue to work against NC State, there shouldn’t be a problem against Boston College before the showdown against Miami.  

Oct. 15 Florida State 41 … at Duke 16
CFN Analysis: It might have only been a win over Duke, but the Noles needed to beat up on someone. E.J. Manuel took control of the offense again and got the deep ball going, while the defense never let the game get interesting, keeping the Blue Devils out of the end zone until the fourth quarter. Manuel ran well, and Devonta Freeman had a nice day balancing things out with 109 rushing yards and a score, but the defense was the big key with a terrific pass rush killing the Duke passing game and keeping the game from getting interesting. Was this the confidence-builder needed going forward? With home games against Maryland and NC State up next, and four of the next five games at home, only Miami should provide a challenge the rest of the ACC season if the Noles can keep playing this well. 

Oct. 8 at Wake Forest 35 … Florida State 30
CFN Analysis: Florida State just didn’t show up. The Noles were sloppy with five turnovers and 13 penalties making it easy on Wake Forest to take the game away. E.J. Manuel wasn’t bad in place of Clint Trickett, but he made just enough mistakes to ruin any hope of making a big comeback. The running game didn’t get a chance to work with so much emphasis on the passing game, and while Rashad Greene was a monster, catching 12 passes for 163 yards and a score, the four picks from the quarterbacks killed the passing attack. Now the negativity will kick in with the Most Disappointing Team tag starting to fly, but with Duke, Maryland, NC State, and Boston College up next, the Noles will be just fine with four straight wins before facing Miami.

Sept. 24 at Clemson 35 … Florida State 30
CFN Analysis: Florida State had to be perfect to make up for the bumps and bruises on offense and without quarterback E.J. Manuel, and it wasn’t. Even so, the Noles almost pulled it off. The 11 penalties were disastrous and the lack of any running game – coming up with just 29 yards – hurt, but Clint Trickett proved he could play throwing for 336 yards and three scores. There can’t be a letdown next week against a rested Wake Forest, but this is it for the tough ACC games considering Miami is mediocre and there’s no Virginia Tech to deal with. 

Sept. 17 Oklahoma 23 ... at Florida State 13
CFN Analysis: It might not have been the outcome the Noles were hoping for, but it was a good defensive performance against a high powered team and it was a nice overall step forward. The loss of E.J. Manuel with a shoulder problem hurt, but Clint Trickett did what he could to keep the game alive. However, there was a big drop-off, with Manuel completing 13-of-19 passes for 85 yards, and he seemed to be finding a groove. He might have thrown two picks, but he ran well and he was keeping the OU defense on its toes. The running game continues to be a bit of a problem outside of Manuel, and the offensive line had problems, but it was still a good battle against the No. 1 team in America. A win at Clemson next week would take away all the pain of this loss, but the team has to rest up in a hurry after getting knocked around.

Sept. 10 at Florida St 62 ... Charleston Southern 10
CFN Analysis: It’s not like the Seminoles needed a light scrimmage before hosting Oklahoma, but they got their chance to tune up and get E.J. Manuel a few more live reps. It’s like a batter needing a certain amount of at bats before things slow down; Manuel got his cuts against Charleston Southern. There was no need to throw the ball 35 times in this game, but Manuel winged it around for 329 yards and four touchdowns, spreading he passes around well. This was a game to get the backups some work, and now, the depth has seen enough action to be as ready as it’ll be, and it has an even more experienced quarterback to lead the way.    

Sept. 3 at Florida State 34 … ULM 0
CFN Analysis: The Florida State defense was all over the place against an overmatched ULM with the defensive front stopping everything cold. The goal was to see if E.J. Manuel could shine in his first game, and while he was decent, completing 22-of-34 passes for 252 yards and two scores and a pick, he wasn’t amazing. Next week against Charleston Southern, he’ll have to be a bit more accurate to show that he’s ready to shine against Oklahoma, but he’ll have help. As long as the defense is at the level it was at this week, the Noles will have a real shot at the upset.