No. 1 recruit will see FSU again before senior season

The elite pass rusher recruit will take all five of his officials in September and October.

FRISCO, Texas — Kayvon Thibodeaux, the No. 1 recruit in the nation, came into Monday’s linemen workout at The Opening Finals with confidence.

As it turns out, he had every reason to be confident. Thibodeaux won the majority of his reps thanks to a blazing first step, and the ability to convert speed to power.

“I was confident. A lot of dudes can’t beat my first step. But as the players get better, I have to change it up. A couple times I slipped, got caught, and they’re some great dudes, and if you get caught slipping, you’re going to lose. I give them their props.”

Bud Elliott

The 6’4, 234-pound Thousand Oaks (California) prospect had some doubters entering the event, with some questioning whether he could maintain his top spot in the rankings. At least among the pass rushers, he seemed to do enough.

Asked which NFL player he models his game after, he had an interesting answer.

“Nobody, I model my game after Kayvon Thibodaeux,” he said.

Thibodeaux maintains a current top-five schools of Alabama, Florida State, Florida, Oregon, and USC, in no specific order.

And he plans to visit one of those schools again this summer: Florida State.

“I’ll be going to Florida State later this summer, July 28th,” Thibodeaux said, referring to FSU’s Saturday Night Live camp.

After that, it’ll be time for official visits.

“Still figuring out the dates, but my top-five will be my officials,” Thibodeaux said.

Those official visits will be coming quick, because Thibodeaux wants to make his decision in October.

“I’m taking them back-to-back, during my senior season,” he said. “I want to commit in October, I’m trying to get Halloween or my last game of my season.”

He says the most important factor for him will be how he feels.

“It’s just about how I feel. At this point, all the schools are great, the coaches are great,” he said.

Other than the NFL, Thibodeaux’s career goal is to be an entertainment lawyer.

Ratings via 247Sports Composite unless otherwise noted.