2025 DE Chase Linton recaps first visit to Florida State

Florida State has been trying to get four-star defensive end Chase Linton on campus ever since he decommitted from Rutgers on Aug. 17. The Seminoles finally got him on campus on Saturday for an unofficial visit as they defeated Cal 14-9.

With Georgia surging to the front as a top choice for Linton, the Seminoles looked to put themselves in the picture as his recruitment gets a second wind.

"I really enjoyed how the coaches treated me. I like all the stuff they have going on over there in the facilities and how the team felt. They said that the team had a whole new energy and I liked hearing and experiencing that," Linton said on his visit.

That new energy manifested itself in a dominant display of defense during what proved to be a close game. Linton witnessed a game in which Florida State's defense produced seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss. Many of those sacks and TFLs came from players at his position.

"I saw a lot of dominance. I liked how Patrick Payton — he's a dog — I really liked what he was out there doing. The way he used his moves and how he could stack them up. I thought that was really impressive," Linton said.

"The stadium was awesome. Osceola and Renegade was dope. That's the coolest (tradition) I've seen."

Linton got to speak to some of the coaching staff in person for the first time since they began communicating. He had conversations with defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, defensive ends coach John Papuchis and Coach Mike Norvell.

"I talked with Coach Fuller and we talked about why I was there, where he saw me fitting in and how excited he was for me to be there. I also talked to JP, and he talked about just enjoying the experience. I also had a good conversation with the Head Coach, who let me know about where the program is going and how far it's come. That was pretty cool."

For Florida State, Linton's visit generated more interest from the four-star who has completely re-opened his recruitment. In the last week, Linton added offers from LSU and Illinois and has multiple visits planned to Georgia, including a game day visit on Oct. 5 and an official visit on Oct. 11.

But that doesn't mean his recruitment will be quick as he wants to make sure he doesn't make a rash decision.

"I'm going to take it as slow — to medium — as possible. I don't want to rush into anything like I did last time and have to decommit and disappoint so many people again. So I'm going to take my time and really make sure it's the right decision," he said.

Linton expressed interest in returning to Florida State for an official visit and it was brought up by the Florida State coaching staff as a serious possibility. Linton has become a focus for Florida State in the later stages of this recruiting cycle and the 'Noles will look to make some headway in a wide open recruitment.

Five-star OL commit Solomon Thomas recaps his visit

Rivals100 prospect Ousmane Kromah reflects on FSU ahead of commitment