ESPN Recruiting Nation Football

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The long-awaited visit of Mavin Saunders (Houston/Kinkaid School) to Florida State culminated in a commitment on Saturday afternoon.

The 6-foot-5, 233-pound tight end confirmed that he is joining the Seminoles' 2014 class.

A native of The Bahamas, Saunders chose Florida State over Arkansas, Houston, Illinois, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Utah.

Saunders is the Seminoles' only tight end commitment, and could be the only player at the position in this class.

Tim Brewster, Saunders' position and area recruiter, led FSU's efforts to land him. Saunders' commitment caps a strong first session of camp for the Seminoles. Florida State has had four commitments this week.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Another commitment has come in for head coach Jimbo Fisher during Florida State's first summer camp.

Rising senior Malique Jackson (Jesup, Ga./Wayne County), a long, rangy athlete at 6-foot-1, committed to the Seminoles after camping in front assistant coach Jeremy Pruitt. Jackson primarily worked out at cornerback, a place where Pruitt seems to like size.

"Yes, they recruited him as a corner," said Jackson's high school coach, Jody Grooms.

Jackson is the Seminoles' fourth commitment of this camp session, joining Ryan Sousa, Ethan Frith and Marlon Gonzalez.

Jackson attends the same school that produced current starting right guard Tre' Jackson.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Ethan Frith (Summit, Miss./North Pike) showed up to Florida State with a point to prove. And a new physique to show off.

Previously weighing in at 336 pounds, the offensive tackle this time checked in at 292 pounds. In the end, it very well could have earned him a spot on the Seminoles roster, especially given he ended up committing later in the day.

"I just wanted to compete and show Coach Jimbo [Fisher]," he said. "Since the last time I came here, I have lost 25 or so pounds.

“I just felt like it is the right place for me,” Frith said. “I love it down here. I like all of the coaches. I like all of the people down here. I just felt like it was home for me and it is where I should be.”

Right after his workout at the camp, Frith indicated he wasn't sure where he was in regard to making a decision. It certainly didn't appear imminent.

But in talking things over, Frith got the feeling that it was the place for him.

“Coach Trickett, getting to working with him and talking to him,” Frith said. “Then getting a chance to sit down and talk with him.

“He is a great coach,” Frith said. “I’ve been around [tough coaches] all of my life, so it isn’t anything new. I am looking forward to it. I plan on going to the NFL and he is the one who can get me there.”

Head coach Jimbo Fisher was expectedly happy with the news that he had a new offensive tackle coming in.

“He was excited,” Frith said. “I don’t think he expected me to, but he was excited when I did.”

As for the weight loss, Frith is in a position to stay trim. He's established new eating habits that set him up for prolonged success.

"Eating healthier, no fried foods, no cokes or Mountain Dews," he said. "My 40-yard dash has gotten faster. I'm more agile."

Frith is the Seminoles' 12th commitment of the 2014 class.

MOBILE, Ala. -- Nearly in the middle of the Florida and Mississippi borders is Mobile, Ala., a port city whose founding can be traced back to French settlers in the early 1700s. Its roots, in other words, run deep. As does the richness of its soil, both in the figurative and literal sense. Football players are born here. Today, the seaside territory of South Alabama and its epicenter, Mobile, represent the key to the recruiting success of many of the top programs in the country.

The Crimson Tide wouldn't have won consecutive championships without holding sway over the region. Though the area lies well below sea level, South Alabama represents the territorial high ground for Nick Saban and the University of Alabama.

When Saban arrived at Alabama in 2006, he came in with a plan to first win back Mobile, then the state, and then the country. Looking up and down the roster he inherited from Mike Shula, Saban was struck by the lack of players from South Alabama.

In his first year at UA, Saban sent his best recruiter, assistant coach Lance Thompson, to the area. Thompson helped gain the commitments of three of the top prospects in the region: Foley High star wideout Julio Jones, St. Paul's stud safety Mark Barron and Vigor High super athlete B.J. Scott. Jones and Barron would become All-Americans at Alabama before being taken in first round of the NFL draft. Even Scott, who wound up transferring back home to the University of South Alabama, was signed by the Chicago Bears in late April.

Fast-forward to the present and all three of Alabama's most valuable players -- quarterback AJ McCarron, linebacker C.J. Mosley and running back T.J. Yeldon -- are all from within earshot of Mobile. Right tackle D.J. Fluker of Foley would have been a senior this season had he not entered the NFL draft in April.

"When we came to Alabama we only had one player, Wallace Gilberry, from this area on our team," Saban said at a speaking engagement in the area last week. "Now we have anywhere from 13-15 (players) pretty consistently. We've had, I think, three first-round draft picks from this area, and probably a couple more guys on the team who could be first-round draft picks in the future.

"There's great (high school) programs here and we certainly want to do a great job in our state in terms of recruiting and it just seems that historically there's been a lot of great players from this area. We certainly feel fortunate that we've been able to get some of those players to come to Alabama and it's made a huge difference in the success of our program."

After the top prospect from Mobile signed with Arkansas in 2006 and then Auburn in 2007, the tables turned. Alabama took over and signed the highest-rated recruit from the city all but one time from 2008-11.

But what's happened in the years since shows how other schools have taken notice. Chris Casher, the top prospect from the city in 2012, signed with Florida State. And Jason Smith, a four-star athlete from McGill-Toolen High, signed with Auburn this February.

Alabama's grip on South Alabama hasn't loosened, but the pull from programs like FSU, Auburn and others has grown stronger, thanks mainly to shifts in the recruiters charged with scouting the area in the past six months. Dameyune Craig, who made a name for himself as a recruiter on the FSU staff, was hired by Auburn’s new head coach Gus Malzahn in January; Jeremy Pruitt, who made a name for himself as an assistant coach at Alabama, took the defensive coordinator job for the Seminoles in December; and Thompson, who returned to Alabama last year after a stint at Tennessee, shifted his territory back to where he started in Mobile. The trio is some of the best in the business, and they're all spending much of their time in the same area.

"They’re all great guys," Vigor High coach Ashley Johnson said. "...They’re great with the kids, interacting with them when they’re able to interact with them. They really, really learn them. They don’t forget a name, a face. They are really good at what they do."

ESPN 150 defensive end Justin Thornton stars at Vigor and has been recruited heavily by all three schools since before his junior season. The four-star prospect recently committed to Auburn, thanks in large part to the connection Craig was able to form.

"When Justin Thornton’s mom just had a baby, Dameyune Craig’s buzzing me. ‘Tell Justin I’m excited,'" said Johnson, marveling at how quickly the coach acted on the news. "They are up and on the know. I don’t know when they sleep."

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- ESPN 150 athlete J.C. Jackson committed to Florida during a visit to the team's summer camp on Saturday, less than a week after decommitting from Florida State.

Jackson, who is ranked No. 48 overall in the nation, picked the Gators over offers from Clemson, Ohio State and Tennessee. His pledge caps what was an extended flirtation with UF, as Jackson made multiple visits to Gainesville while he was an FSU commit and wore Gator gear to the IMG Southeast Regional 7-on-7 Championships in April.

Jackson said the opportunity to play in the SEC is what ultimately led to his decision.

"It was my best option, so I just went ahead and committed," Jackson said. "They were telling me the same things they have told me but I just felt it was time to do it. They sent a defensive back to the league, Matt Elam, and they have a lot of defensive backs in the leage that came from Florida."

The former FSU commit said Florida fans can rest easy -- he claims his pledge to Florida is rock solid.

"It is very solid commit," Jackson said. "I'm going to stick with the Gators. I was committed to Florida State for a while and I thought I was going to go there, too. But with Florida, I'm going to stick with Florida. I'm not going nowhere else. It's the SEC, the best. I have a chance to probably start if I come here and work."

Jackson, said Florida coaches Will Muschamp, D.J. Durkin and Travaris Robinson were ecstatic to learn of his commitment.

"They started yelling and got happy," he said. "Muschamp, T-Rob, Durkin ... they were all happy."

In the 6-foot, 185-pound Jackson, the Gators will get a standout athlete they see as a cornerback at the next level.

"I'm going to come here and work," he said, "and try to win a national championship."

Jackson is commit No. 9 in Florida's Class of 2014, joining RB Dalvin Cook, QB Will Grier and DT Anthony Moten as ESPN 150 pledges.