Loftin is a 6’6”, 215-pound tight end who plays for Millard South High School in Omaha, Nebraska. He is currently ranked as the 374th best player in the nation by 247Sports Composite (19th best tight end, 2nd best player in NE).
Loftin chose the Seminoles over fellow finalists Texas A&M Aggies, Missouri Tigers, and hometown Nebraska Cornhuskers. Loftin has 20 other offers from the likes of the Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, Kansas State Wildcats (where his brother Brayden plays), Miami Hurricanes, Oklahoma Sooners, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Wisconsin Badgers.
Loftin is athletic enough to move around and flex out as more of a jumbo wide receiver, but he also shows a willingness to block. Hell need to add more weight and strength but has the frame to do so without losing his athleticism.
Loftin caught 34 passes for 440 yards and six touchdowns in his junior season, earning all-state honors.
Charles, the 6’4”, 295 pound defensive lineman who plays for Port Charlotte High, is currently ranked as the 126th best player in the nation by 247Sports Composite (14th best DL, 19th best player in Florida). He has long been prioritized by FSU defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins and that relationship paid off in a major way today. Literally every top program in the nation wants Charles.
Charles chose the Seminoles over 30 other offers from the likes of heavy-hitters Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, Ole Miss Rebels, Oregon Ducks, Penn State Nittany Lions, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, and USC Trojans.
He plays at a high level at a premium position, one that FSU hasn’t landed a true stud from the prep ranks in years. He has all the traits you look for in an athletic interior defensive lineman. This recruitment always felt like FSU’s to lose, and they made sure it wasn’t a loss- major props to Haggins for holding off a litany of other excellent suitors.
Charles is not a plug-and-play interior defender (those are quite rare) but after he gets a few semesters of coaching and strength and conditioning work, the fun will begin as he works his way into the rotation. It’s rare to see Charles not being double (or triple) teamed, yet he still shows the ability to fight through the extra blockers and wreak havoc. When he goes one-on-one, it never ends well for the man across from him. He shows the capacity for dominance at times in his highlights despite his raw technique, and his athleticism and length consistently help him win battles. Once he develops an array of moves and adds more strength, he has a ceiling of becoming a major contributor with NFL potential.
Thomas is a 6’2”, 190 pound defensive back who plays for American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is currently ranked as the 292nd best player in the nation by 247Sports Composite (25th best safety, 42nd best player in FL).
Thomas chose the Seminoles over 30 other offers from the likes of the Clemson Tigers, Iowa Hawkeyes, Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Oklahoma Sooners, Penn State Nittany Lions, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies, UCF Golden Knights, and Wisconsin Badgers.
He checks some amazing boxes. Thomas has Seminole Tribe heritage. He plays for the high school where DBs coach Pat Surtain held his first head coaching position, overlapping with Surtain for a year. He is the rare defensive back who loves to tackle and he has the positional flexibility and size that Surtain and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller love.
In an otherwise middling DB cycle, Thomas is a bright spot with a very high ceiling- I’d easily have him ranked as a top 150 player nationally. He does an excellent job mirroring receivers in coverage and has no issues jamming at the line.
In the middle of all of this news came the revelation that four-star quarterback commit Trammel Jones had also shut his recruitment down, a welcome sign as the Florida Gators had been doggedly pursuing the Jacksonville prospect:
FSU’s 92.30 average is currently fifth in the country behind the LSU Tigers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks and Alabama Crimson Tide, though each have over 10 commitments while Florida State currently holds nine.
Florida State baseball coach Link Jarrett inked an extension with the university over the weekend, a well-deserved one after a season that saw the Seminoles set several school benchmarks en route to the College World Series:
In his two years at Florida State, Jarrett has compiled a 72-48 record overall. After undertaking a rebuild in his first year, Jarrett led the Seminoles to a 26-win turnaround in his second year and a runner-up in the ACC tournament.
Jarrett’s original contract was a seven year, $6.5 million contract. The details showed that the contract was an annual compensation of $875,000 for his first two years, $925,000 over the third and fourth years, and $950,000 for the fifth and sixth years of the contract. The contract would conclude with $1,000,000 in the final year. Additionally, the salary pool was $450,000 for assistants.
The details of the new contract have not yet been released.
