A horde of recruits descended upon Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Sunday night to see Florida State and LSU.
Many were Seminoles commits. Many were not. Some are being recruited by each program.
And what they saw was a tight game into halftime that devolved into a Florida State blowout, a 45-24 boat-race of the Tigers. FSU outscored LSU 31-7 after halftime as the Seminoles looked like one of the most dominant teams in the country.
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“It feels awesome to see FSU back,” four-star Florida State DB commit CJ Heard Jr. said. “College football is not the same without FSU football and the world sees that. We are not done.”
Five-star 2025 defensive lineman Armondo Blount was there. Florida State is a frontrunner for him along with Miami and Florida.
“It was awesome,” Blount said. “The energy was off the charts.”
The feeling after Florida State’s win is that the momentum in Tallahassee is off the charts.
From a 10-win season (its first since 2016) to outstanding recruiting classes (the Seminoles are sitting fourth nationally in 2024) to great work done in the transfer portal (Michigan State transfer WR Keon Coleman had nine catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns), things are going in the right direction.
Everybody seems to feel that.
“Unbelievable win for the guys,” Florida State four-star QB commit Luke Kromenhoek said. “We made a statement. I have been telling people you better hop on the train before it takes off. Proud of the coaching staff and the guys they showed up and showed out. Only the beginning to what this program is going to do. The future is very, very bright.”
Four-star running back commit Kameron Davis said: “Love being at any game with FSU in it. The atmosphere and energy is always there.”
Four-star cornerback Ricky Knight: “It was absolutely amazing to witness. I was truly proud of coach (Adam) Fuller and his defense. (Sunday) night showed CFB that FSU has one of the best defenses in the country. They are not at their full potential yet and it’s going to be a scary sight when they get there.”
Four-star 2025 defensive end Amaree Williams called Florida State “clearly a program on the rise.” Four-star 2025 receiver Daylan McCutcheon said that the Seminoles’ performance “definitely had an influence on where they stand in my recruitment.”
After the game, LSU coach Brian Kelly was blunt about his team’s performance. It was not nearly good enough.
“We certainly are not the football team I thought we were,” Kelly said. “…This is a total failure on a coaching standpoint and a player standpoint that we have to address and we have to own.”
In the Florida State locker room, it was all excitement and smiles. Maybe the toughest game of its season was just won, dominated in the second half.
The Seminoles could be favorites in the remainder of their games. FSU sure seems back to national relevancy and a big step was taken Sunday night by crushing LSU.
“It was a great atmosphere,” 2025 QB commit Tramell Jones said. “It was really a home game for the Noles. They had a great performance and you can see what Florida State as a school is becoming.”
