Florida State football had several highly-touted true freshmen that it secured for its 2024 recruiting class. The coaching staff has to be in love with the construction of the players who are in the fold.
The Seminoles have several future playmakers that will be making the fan base excited. One prospect group that I want to focus on is the defensive backfield room. Defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. has put his stamp on the program as he assisted with getting Renardo Green, Jarrian Jones, and Akeem Dent to the professional ranks.
While I know those players are multi-year contributors and Surtain Sr. did not singlehandedly transform them into draft picks, it is great to see that they improved their draft stock after one season under Surtain Sr.
During the 2024 recruiting cycle, Surtain Sr. went to work on the recruiting trail where he solidified four commitments in Charles Lester III, Jamari Howard (might be out for a while during the season), Cai Bates, and Ricky Knight III.
I know that a lot of the attention will be focused on the fact that the Seminoles did not obtain the services of five-star safety KJ Bolden who signed with the Georgia Bulldogs. However, it is great to know that Florida State was still able to pair together a strong defensive backfield for the future.
One player who isn’t getting talked about enough is true freshman defensive back Ricky Knight III considering that he is enrolling during the summer. While it is difficult for true freshmen to see the field (much less if they are summer enrollees), Knight III possesses the speed and quickness to terrorize opposing pass catchers.
On social media, the former four-star prospect announced that he would be wearing the No. 26 jersey this season. It is great to see that Knight III could follow in the footsteps of great players to wear the jersey number like Asante Samuel Jr., PJ Williams, and Greg Allen. I am so excited to watch Knight III develop into a special player.