#Tribe18: Willie Taggart pulling FSU’s recruiting class together despite late start

Manatee High alumnus Willie Taggart’s first Florida State University recruiting class is an important one as he embarks on his inaugural season as the Seminoles’ head football coach.

Taggart told the Tallahassee Democrat in December the Noles are expected to sign 16-18 recruits for their 2018 class.

On Wednesday, Taggart secured Seffner Armwood wide receiver Warren Thompson’s commitment. The four-star recruit’s decision was highly anticipated and came with a week to go before the Feb. 7 National Signing Day.

As of Thursday, Florida State jumped from No. 65 to No. 15 in national recruiting classes, according to 247Sports, and the No. 3 class in the Atlantic Coast Conference, behind Miami (No. 5 overall, No. 1 ACC) and Clemson (No. 8 overall, No. 2 ACC).

While those rankings might seem lower than FSU fans have been accustomed to, don’t forget that Taggart wasn’t hired until early December – after Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M – and had less than three weeks to recruit before the Dec. 20-22 early signing period.

So who else is FSU aiming to sign for this year’s #Tribe18 class?

Based on the 247Sports composite rankings, here’s a list of FSU’s signees and targets:

SIGNED

Four stars

▪  Safety Jaiden Woodbey, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)

▪  Linebacker Amari Gainer, Tallahassee Chiles

▪  Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas

▪  Cornerback A.J. Lytton, Dr. Henry Wise (Upper Marlboro, Md.)

▪  Defensive back Isaiah Bolden, Wesley Chapel

▪  Defensive tackle Robert Cooper, South Gwinnett (Snellville, Ga.)

Three stars

▪  Offensive lineman Christian Armstrong, Warner Robins (Ga.)

COMMITMENTS

Four stars

▪  Wide receiver Warren Thompson, Seffner Armwood

▪  Linebacker Xavier Peters, Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio)

▪  Tight end Camren McDonald, Long Beach Poly (Calif.)

▪  Offensive lineman Christian Meadows, Macon County (Ga.)

▪  Defensive lineman Dennis Briggs, Kissimmee Gateway

Three stars

▪  Wide receiver D’Marcus Adams, Daytona Beach Mainland

▪  Offensive lineman Jalen Goss, Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)

▪  Defensive lineman Chaz Neal, Wesley Chapel

TOP TARGETS

Four stars

▪  Defensive lineman Malcolm Lamar, Seffner Armwood

▪  Quarterback James Foster, Lanier (Montgomery, Ala.)

▪  Athlete Tre’Shaun Harrison, Garfield (Seattle)

Three stars

▪  Linebacker James Miller, Seffner Armwood

This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 12:35 PM with the headline "#Tribe18: Willie Taggart pulling FSU’s recruiting class together despite late start."