ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

Florida State's Class of 2009 lacked the star power of the last three years and eventually became a mixed bag of success and disappointment.

At the top of the class were top players at their position -- defensive tackle Jacobbi McDaniel and Greg Reid. And while McDaniel's career hasn't finished yet, there is a feeling of dissatisfaction for both.

Reid's career was full of highs and lows, much like the way he played. He produced huge, highlight-reel plays that impacted wins, but was also on the wrong end of some big missed assignments.

He was a major factor on the football field and his return abilities were missed. Then his career was cut short when he was removed from the team due to off-field issues which left Seminoles fans wondering what could have been with another year.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- As Tony Stevens (Orlando, Fla./Evans) looks decreasingly likely to sign with Florida State, the Seminoles have begun to make appropriate changes to their plans at wide receiver.

ESPN 150 wide receiver Jordan Cunningham (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./University School of Nova Southeast) is hardly a backup plan, though. Being the No. 59 prospect in the country, he's proved himself to be a quality prospect.

And it seems he's warm to Florida State despite running backs coach Eddie Gran's departure to Cincinnati, as well as Vanderbilt.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Five-star linebacker Matthew Thomas (Miami, Fla./Booker T. Washington) said he wanted to win a state championship before he would deal with his recruitment.

Last month he led Booker T. Washington to the Class 4A state title and now he’s ready to get down to business in preparations for a signing day decision.

“It felt good to win state,” Thomas said. It was the main goal from the beginning of the season and it feels good to accomplish your goals, especially after coming up short the year before.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- As ESPN 150 defensive end Tim Williams (Baton Rouge, La./ University Lab) nears national signing day, all that remains between him and choosing a school is a few official visits.

Up first is a trip to Alabama on January 11, Miami on the 18th and Florida State on the 25th. Williams will decide whether or not to take an official to LSU or Texas A&M at some point, too.

Among his finalists, it seems all have a common thread.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- ESPN 150 safety Leon McQuay III (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) will be making his college decision at the Under Armour All-America Game on Friday.

The four-star athlete has a top five of USC, Michigan, Oregon, Vanderbilt and FSU, but McQuay said he won't have all five hats for his selection on Friday.

"Yeah ... I don't know [if Michigan still in consideration]. I don't know how many hats I'll have up there," he said. "My dad said he wasn't paying for five hats. I'll probably only have three hats up there.

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There will be no shortage of talent, or college coaches, on the field at the Georgia Dome this weekend, as the GHSA football state championships are set to take place. All seven games will be broadcast live on Georgia Public Broadcasting TV, as well as streaming online at gpb.org/sports. Here are some prospects to keep an eye on in each of the seven matchups.

Prince Avenue (11-2) vs. ELCA (12-1): Class A Private, Friday, 2:30 p.m.

The top prospect in the opening matchup of the weekend is ESPN 150 defensive end Isaac Rochell. He committed to Notre Dame over 20 other offers back in June. His teammate, running back Keyante Green, is a ESPN 300 prospect who committed to Purdue during the summer after being previously committed to UCLA. Eagles Landing Christian Academy has two ESPN 2014 Watch List selections to keep an eye on as well in defensive end Andrew Williams and quarterback/athlete Dalton Etheridge. Williams, whose brother Anthony plays defensive end at Georgia Tech, looks to follow Rochell’s path as one of the most coveted prospects in Georgia.

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With just a few short months left until national signing day, Florida and Florida State, as always, have two of the best recruiting classes in the country. 2014 will be no different. Here's a look at some of the top prospects Florida and Florida State will battle for next year.

DE Andrew Williams (McDonough, Ga./Eagles Landing): The ESPN Watch List defensive end visited Florida over the summer and came away impressed with the Gators. Williams also visited FSU for its game against the Gators. Other schools will be heavily involved in Williams' recruitment, but these two schools are sure to be near his top schools throughout.

DE Denzel Ware (Crestview, Fla./Crestview): Ware has been committed to FSU since September, but the Gators continue to pursue the talented defensive end. Ware took an unofficial visit to Florida for a game this year and came away impressed. He remains firmly committed to FSU, but Florida is still lingering.

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Florida State's newest offer recently went out in the state of New York, a place the Seminoles don't scour for players very often.

Agustus Edwards (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville), a 6-foot-2, 220-pound bruising running back, was on the receiving end, perhaps seen by the Seminoles as the heir apparent to fullback Lonnie Pryor.

"I don't really know right now," he said of the offer. "I am still committed to Syracuse. I might take an official visit there."

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Florida State's victory over arch-rival Miami was witnessed by some high-caliber recruits two weeks ago. Arguably, the Booker T. Washington group consisting of Matthew Thomas, Denver Kirkland, Treon Harris and Nigel Patten were the most important.

Patten, an offered junior defensive back, relished seeing two of his favorite teams go head to head in a physical bout.

"I thought it was great," he said. "It was a hard-fought game. Miami manned up to the competition. Florida State, with all the good recruiting classes, I feel like they were able to do what they did. It probably should have been a blowout."

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It's not a surprise that the big boys of college football drop in on Eagle's Landing Christian in McDonough, Georgia.

After all, there are several elite FBS prospects starring there. Andrew Williams, a 2014 Watch List defensive end, is just one of them.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound prospect reports that schools such as Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame and Ohio State, among others, have been by this season.

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Florida State has firmly entered their name into the Jeremy Kerr (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg) sweepstakes.

The Seminoles offered the Miami (Fla.) tight end commitment just last week and, in all their haste, were able to secure an unofficial visit from the three-star prospect for the Duke game on Saturday.

"I enjoyed it," he said. "It was a great opportunity and I'm glad I saw the game day atmosphere."

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Alex Collins (Plantation, Fla./South Plantation) was about to burst. He knew a secret, but he also knew he couldn't let it out just yet.

Finally on Wednesday, John Franklin (Plantation, Fla./South Plantation), his teammate and quarterback got the news that Collins already knew. Franklin got his offer from Florida State.

"I was quiet because I didn't know what to say," Franklin said. "I was kind of shocked, at a loss for words. It was exciting, of course, for them to be one of the schools that I was hoping to offer me and they actually did.

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For as long as he can remember, Adrian Baker (Hollywood, Fla./Chaminade-Madonna) cheered for the Miami Hurricanes. Especially when Florida State was their opponent.

But times have changed. The ESPN 300 athlete is now firmly committed to the Seminoles and his allegiance lies in Tallahassee.

So while being inside Sun Life Stadium last Saturday pulling for the road team was a little out of the ordinary for Baker, it eventually grew on him.

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