Florida State recruiting never stops, and neither does our recruiting coverage.
Florida State brought in a great football recruiting class in 2014, but even before they signed, the coaches were working on the next class. Let's take a look at what Florida State needs in the 2015 class. Keep in mind that as the current roster changes, so do future recruiting needs.
Quarterback
Florida State signed J.J. Cosentino in 2014, a strong-arm pro-style passer. Florida State will return four quarterbacks in 2015. Assuming attrition of one, FSU needs to take one quarterback in the 2015 class, though it might elect to take two, because the goal is to typically have four. This will be a position to watch unfold.
Skill (RB/WR/TE)
Florida State signed seven skill players in 2014, including two excellent running backs, a terrific trio of receivers, and two very promising tight ends. Florida State will return 15 skill players in 2015. Assuming attrition of one, it will need to bring in five to eight skill players. Within that, it will need at least two backs, three receivers and one tight end.
Offensive line
Florida State cleaned up along the offensive line on National Signing Day, bringing in seven fantastic offensive linemen. FSU will return 11 offensive linemen in 2015, plus attrition of one. Teams typically want to carry 15-18 offensive linemen, but FSU may want to space it out a bit between years, so four or five seems about right.
Defensive Line
FSU signed a monster class of defensive linemen, seven in all on National Signing Day 2014. Florida State will return 15 defensive linemen in 2015. Assuming attrition of three, it needs to bring in at least four in the 2015 class, with at least two being defensive tackle. It would not surprise me to see FSU take a junior college player at this position.
Linebacker
FSU signed a great linebacker class on National Signing Day 2014 and will return 9 linebackers in 2015. Assuming no attrition, it will need to bring in at least two linebackers.
Defensive back
Florida State signed a pair of talented defensive backs in 2014. FSU will return 12 defensive backs, but attrition of three should be expected, meaning FSU needs to take at least five in its 2015 class.
Total class size
With Florida State signing a class of 28 in 2014, it is looking at a class of about 27 in 2015. Here's the math on this.
5: Members of 2014 signing class who count against the 2013 cap (because they enrolled in January and Florida State had room to count back).
23: Members of the 2014 signing class who count for 2014.
2: Spots left over from the 2014 signing class that can still be filled by players in the next class if they enroll early for spring semester, a practice known as "counting back."
So with its normal allotment of 25, plus two spots to count back, FSU can take 27.
Priority should be given to players who can enroll early. Even though FSU can only count back two of those who enroll early, that does not prevent others from doing so. And given that Florida State might be losing well over half of its starters to graduation and or the draft after 2014, getting players in early and getting them bulked up and through spring might be worth an extra win in 2015.
A hypothetical class might look like: QB, QB RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, WR, TE, TE, OL, OL, OL, OL, OL, DL, DL, DL, DL, LB, LB, DB, DB, DB, DB, DB.