FSU made major waves with elite LB target after Monday visit
· Yahoo Sports
The Florida State Seminoles have one of the top linebackers in the 2027 class in their sights. That player is blue-chip linebacker AJ Randle, and he has over 50 scholarship offers on the table.
FSU extended theirs back in November. However, he hadn't taken a trip to see them up until Monday. This was very critical for the Seminoles as they not only dazzled the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, but they took a leap in his recruitment.
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“It was really, really good,” Randle told Warchant. “I’d say coming into it we had some, not necessarily doubts, but some things that we were higher on some other schools for. And I think this visit right here kind of showed that Florida State can compare or is even better in some ways.”
Randle was able to witness one of Florida State's spring practices. It gave him a chance to see what new linebackers coach Ernie Sims is like and how he operates when it comes to running his unit.
Sims is looking for his first commitment since taking on his new role, and FSU needs to add to blue-chip linebacker Gregory Batson, who made his pledge back in November. Randle was very complimentary of Sims when talking about the impression he made.
“We really like Coach Sims,” Randle said. “Not necessarily the connection, but kind of maybe how good of a teacher he was, being a former player. I know it’s some sort of [stigma] about sometimes when you are a former player, you might not be as good of a coach. And so not necessarily we had those doubts, but we just wanted to see for ourselves. And being here today, I think he’s excellent."
Randle is viewed by Florida State as a player that can also contribute as an edge rusher. So, he's seen as a fit for their Jack linebacker spot in Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme, which blends edge rushing duties with linebacker responsibilities. During his visit, he also spent time with edge coach Nick Williams because of it.
In terms of official visits, Randle has one with South Carolina on May 1 and Oregon on June 12. He hasn't set one up with FSU yet, but he mentioned that he'd love to add them his official visit list.
His junior campaign was successful at Garner High School. Randle registered 84 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, three forced fumbles, and one interception in 13 games.
Randle is the No. 102 player nationally and the No. 7 linebacker according to the Rivals industry rankings. He's the No. 4 prospect in the state of North Carolina as well.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU Football: Florida State improves chances with LB AJ Randle