Closing strong: FSU lands Rivals100 wide receiver

Warren Thompson has official pledged his services to Florida State and the news is significant for he coach Willie Taggart, as he builds momentum in the week leading up to Signing Day. Taggart is closing strong in his first offseason as FSU’s head coach, and Thompson is a big part of that movement.

THE SITUATION

Wednesday marked Thompson’s second verbal commitment to Taggart, as the Rivals100 wide receiver was committed to the head coach when he was at Oregon. At that time, he chose the Ducks over the in-state Seminoles. When Taggart decided to take the open FSU job, Thompson backed off his pledge and began to take visits. Thompson gave looks to Tennessee, South Carolina and others but FSU was always the heavy favorite to land the Tampa-area star. Wednesday’s announcement was simply a case of something that seemed inevitable becoming reality.

HOW IT HELPS FLORIDA STATE:

It seemed as though Thompson would be the one that got away until Jimbo Fisher left Tallahassee for Texas A&M and Taggart landed at FSU. Both Taggart and his father were high on the Seminoles before the elite wideout made a somewhat surprising commitment to Oregon. All bets were off once Taggart left Eugene, however, and it was only a matter of time before Thompson followed the head coach to the in-state program.

In many ways, Tuesday’s announcement was a formality but that won’t temper the excitement of FSU fans. Thompson is a massive target that brings incredible size and athleticism to a class that features just one other wide receiver in D'Marcus Adams, who lacks elite size. Thompson was a must-get for Taggart, and the first-year FSU coach was clearly up to the task.

WHO IT HURTS:

South Carolina was Thompson’s other finalist, but even the Gamecock coaches knew landing him was a longshot. The school most hurt by this is Oregon, which held a commitment from the star wide receiver until the program lost its coach to Florida State. Pulling a highly sought-after Sunshine State prospect away from the in-state schools is no easy task, and the Ducks almost did it

Almost. Oregon lost a number of commits following Taggart’s decision to jump ship, including Thompson’s high school teammate Malcolm Lamar who is considering a number of schools. Current FSU signee Isaiah Bolden, a four-star defensive back, also backed off his pledge to Oregon in favor of attending FSU.