We've established that teams in the BCS era that win National Championships bring in at least 50 percent four- and five-star prospects over the previous four classes. And Florida State under Jimbo Fisher has done just that, only being out-recruited by a handful of schools during his tenure.
Each Thursday, we take a look at some junior scouting reports for some of Florida State's targets. It's a bit early for a recruiting board, as FSU's board is far from settled. That will come later in March.
Previously:2/20: Trent Thompson, Kevin Tolliver II, Martez Ivey, Ricky Town, Kendall Sheffield|2/27: George Campbell, Jovon Robinson, Tim Settle, Josh Rosen, Mitch Hyatt, Tyler Jordan
Thursday, the main top prospects we look at for FSU purposes are cornerback Tarvarus McFadden and defensive end Byron Cowart.
McFadden is a 6'3 cornerback recruit out of American Heritage High School in South Florida. Some wonder if he will have to move to safety, but as you'll read in my scouting report, there is a major premium placed on size at corner position at schools like Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, etc., so he'll play corner if he picks a school emphasizing size at corner. I believe he has the athleticism to stay at corner.
Cowart is a defensive end out of Armwood who visited Florida State over the weekend. Most expect him to pick Florida, but if Florida has another bad year (say, a 6-6 record), FSU could be more in play, even though he attends Armwood, a school that has historically not been friendly to Florida State at all. Cowart seems a bit closer to his ceiling than some others at his position due to his musculature development, but at his best, he is very good.
Also scouted are Virginia defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, Georgia defensive end Mekhi Brown (Alabama commit), Louisiana receiver Tyron Johnson, and Atlanta athlete Terry Godwin (Georgia commit). Also included are a number of top Texas and California commits.