Early signing period recap: Florida State signs 16 high school recruits on first day

The early signing period has arrived.

Florida State will look to sign recruits in the 2023 class across a three-day window, which begins at 7 a.m. Wednesday and ends Friday night.

As of Tuesday night, the Seminoles’ 15-player class ranked No. 16 (On3), No. 18 (247Sports) and No. 28 (Rivals) nationally on the three major recruiting sites. FSU has yet to sign a top-15 recruiting class since 2018.

Over the next 12 hours, a handful of recruits will be worth monitoring.

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Keldric Faulk, a four-star defensive end who verbally committed to the Seminoles on July 5, seems to be wavering on his decision. The Highland Home (Ala.) High product has visited Auburn multiple times in the last couple years, including a trip Sunday that surprised the recruiting world.

Three of FSU’s top-priority targets – Key West (Fla.) High offensive lineman Christopher Otto, Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep defensive back Edwin Joseph and Fort Lauderdale (Fla). American Heritage cornerback Damari Brown – are expected to announce their decisions during the early signing period.

The Seminoles will look to flip and sign multiple recruits who are pledged to other schools, including wide receiver Andy Jean (Florida), linebacker Kamren Robinson (Virginia) and safety Conrad Hussey (Penn State).

Jean (11 a.m.), Joseph (11:45 a.m.), Faulk (noon), Otto (noon), Brown (3 p.m. on ESPN) and Robinson (6 p.m.) have a time scheduled for their announcement/ceremonies, per 247Sports.

Follow along for live updates throughout the day.

A Twitter List by DanRorabaugh

3:45 p.m. | FSU DB target Conrad Hussey reportedly delaying decision

Conrad Hussey, a four-star safety from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, will not sign Wednesday, according to a report from Rivals.

The Seminoles looked to be the favorite to land Hussey, who has been committed to Penn State since April 25. Hussey delaying his signing announcement, though, suggests that he is struggling with the decision.

3:22 p.m. | FSU DB target Damari Brown commits to Miami

Damari Brown, a four-star cornerback from American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, announced that he will sign with the Hurricanes.

Brown chose Miami over FSU and Alabama, among others.

The Seminoles will now focus on looking to flip and sign multiple recruits who are pledged to other schools, including linebacker Kamren Robinson (Virginia) and safety Conrad Hussey (Penn State).

1:37 p.m. | FSU announces signing of only remaining commit, five-star WR Hykeem Williams

Hykeem Williams, a five-star receiver from Stranahan High in Fort Lauderdale, just announced his signing to the Seminoles.

FSU entered Wednesday with 15 verbal commits and has now signed all of them except Keldric Faulk, the four-star defensive end who flipped to Auburn.

247Sports ranks Williams as its No. 3 receiver and No. 15 overall player in the class, while Rivals (No. 4 WR, No. 23 overall) and On3 (No. 5 WR, No. 30 overall) are not as high on him.

Since the 2003 recruiting class, the Seminoles have only signed two high school receivers with a higher overall ranking than Williams on Rivals: Fred Rouse at No. 6 in 2005 and Travis Rudolph at No. 11 in 2014.

Warren Thompson in the 2018 class marks the last time that FSU signed a receiver ranked among the top-100 recruits nationally, per 247Sports and Rivals.

There are a few more recruitments worth monitoring today.

Damari Brown, an uncommitted cornerback from American Heritage High in Fort Lauderdale, plans to announce his signing decision at 3 p.m. on ESPN. FSU also will be looking to flip and sign multiple recruits who are pledged to other schools, including linebacker Kamren Robinson (Virginia) and safety Conrad Hussey (Penn State).

12:40 p.m. | Seminoles sign another uncommitted recruit in OL Christopher Otto

Within an hour of signing its first uncommitted recruit of the 2023 class in defensive back Edwin Joseph, FSU has landed another one.

Christopher Otto, a three-star offensive lineman from Key West High, was announced to the Seminoles.

Recruiting services project the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Otto, a two-way lineman, to play offensive tackle. 247Sports considers Otto to be the No. 50 offensive tackle in the class, while On3 has him ranked No. 73 at his position and No. 1,186 overall. Rivals excludes Otto from its 2023 player rankings.

Florida State recruiting: Uncommitted in-state OL Christopher Otto signs with Seminoles

12:10 p.m. | Longtime FSU commit Keldric Faulk flips to Auburn

For the first time today, the Seminoles have received significantly bad news.

Keldric Faulk, a four-star defensive end from Highland Home (Ala.) High, just flipped from FSU to Auburn. He had been verbally committed to the Seminoles since July 5.

Marvin Wilson and Joshua Kaindoh, two members of the 2017 class, are the last Seminole defensive linemen signees who finished higher than Faulk in the recruiting rankings. 247Sports (No. 8 defensive lineman, No. 73 overall), Rivals (No. 8 weakside defensive end, No. 79 overall) and On3 (No. 16 edge rusher, No. 93 overall) each consider Faulk to be a top-100 recruit.

12:01 p.m. | Uncommitted DB Edwin Joseph signs with FSU

The Seminoles just signed their first uncommitted recruit today.

Edwin Joseph, a defensive back from Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep, was announced to the Seminoles.

Florida State football recruiting: Uncommitted in-state DB Edwin Joseph signing with Seminoles

Recruiting services list Joseph – a two-way player at receiver and cornerback – as an athlete. Rivals (No. 11 athlete, unranked overall) and On3 (No. 12 athlete, No. 362 overall) give Joseph four-star recognition, while 247Sports (No. 24 athlete, unranked overall) considers him to be a three-star recruit.

Per MaxPreps, Joseph recorded 19 tackles, two tackles for a loss, two interceptions and nine passes defended while catching 40 passes for 661 yards and eight touchdowns across 13 games this season.

11:13 a.m. | Seminoles announce Auburn OL transfer Keiondre Jones

Keiondre Jones, an offensive line transfer from Auburn, was just announced to FSU.

Jones represents the final transfer commit to be announced to the Seminoles, joining fellow offensive linemen Jeremiah Byers (UTEP) and Casey Roddick (Colorado), tight ends Jaheim Bell (South Carolina) and Kyle Morlock (Shorter University), and defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. (Miami).

11 a.m. | Colorado OL transfer Casey Roddick announced to FSU

Casey Roddick, a sixth-year graduate transfer offensive lineman from the University of Colorado, was just announced to the Seminoles.

Roddick brings valuable experience as an offensive guard, playing 42 games with 30 starts. He tallied a combined 1,946 offensive snaps in the last four seasons, including a team-high 707 offensive snaps in 2022.

The Buffaloes named Roddick a team captain in August. He then finished this season as their highest-graded offensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus. Roddick received a career-high 65.3 overall grade, along with a 82.9 pass-blocking grade and 59.6 run-blocking grade.

10:43 a.m. | Four-star linebacker Blake Nichelson signs with FSU

The Seminoles just announced their signing of Blake Nichelson, a four-star linebacker from Manteca (Calif.) High.

Not since the 2016 class (Dontavious Jackson at No. 106) has FSU signed a high school linebacker with a higher overall recruiting ranking than Nichelson (131), per 247Sports. Since 247Sports launched in 2010, Nichelson comes in at No. 5 among recruits that the Seminoles have signed from a high school west of Tennessee.

And between the 2020-2024 classes under Norvell, former Gilbert (Ariz.) Perry quarterback Chubba Purdy represents the only other high school recruit west of Texas who signed with FSU or is a current verbal commit. Purdy transferred to Nebraska this past offseason.

247Sports ranks Nichelson as its No. 10 linebacker, while On3 (No. 16 linebacker, No. 176 overall) and Rivals (No. 24 linebacker, unranked overall) are less high on him.

Per MaxPreps, Nichelson tallied 44 tackles, two tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception, seven passes defended and one forced fumble across 13 games this season. Nichelson also is a prolific running back, rushing for 1,719 yards and 27 touchdowns on 209 carries while catching 29 passes for 703 yards and 14 scores.

10:18 a.m. | FSU announces Shorter University TE transfer Kyle Morlock

The Seminoles just announced their second tight end transfer, in Shorter University's Kyle Morlock.

As a 2020 high school recruit from Blairsville (Ga.) Union County, Morlock hardly garnered much attention from Division I programs. He then joined the Hawks and then recorded 57 catches for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns in 24 games across three seasons.

Morlock verbally committed to FSU on Dec. 15, joining fellow tight end transfer Jaheim Bell (South Carolina).

10:04 a.m. | Three-star cornerback Ja’Bril Rawls signs with the Seminoles

The Seminoles just announced their signing of Ja’Bril Rawls, a three-star cornerback from the in-state Pensacola Catholic.

On3 ranks Rawls as its No. 68 safety and No. 727 overall player in the class, while 247Sports (No. 57 CB) and Rivals (unranked positionally) exclude Rawls from their player rankings.

Per Maxpreps, Rawls accumulated 43 tackles, one tackle for a loss, four interceptions, five passes defended and a forced fumble across 12 games. As a receiver, he caught 25 passes for 456 yards and seven touchdowns.

9:48 a.m. | Miami DT transfer Darrell Jackson Jr. announced to FSU

Darrell Jackson Jr., a defensive tackle transfer from the University of Miami, was just announced to the Seminoles.

The local product from Gadsden County High verbally committed to FSU on Dec. 7. He started his collegiate career at Maryland before transferring to Miami last season. In his lone season with the Hurricanes, Jackson totaled 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss and three sacks.

9:29 a.m. | Seminoles announce UTEP OL transfer Jeremiah Byers

FSU has announced another transfer in Jeremiah Byers, an offensive lineman from UTEP.

In four seasons with the Miners, Byers appeared in 34 games with 30 starts. He impressed as their starting right tackle this season, earning first-team All-Conference USA honors. Pro Football Focus gave him a 79.4 offensive grade, along with grades of 83.2 and 79.3 in pass blocking and run blocking, respectively.

9:12 a.m. | FSU announces South Carolina TE transfer Jaheim Bell

It looks like FSU is also announcing transfer additions today.

The Seminoles just announced that they have landed Jaheim Bell, a tight end transfer from the University of South Carolina. He verbally committed to FSU on Dec. 12.

Offensive linemen Keiondre Jones (Auburn), Jeremiah Byers (UTEP) and Casey Roddick (Colorado), tight end Kyle Morlock (Shorter University) and defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. (Miami) are the Seminoles' other transfer pledges.

8:58 a.m. | Four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons signs with the Seminoles

FSU just announced one of its biggest signings in the 2023 class, in four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons.

The in-state product from Clearwater Academy International is the highest-ranked offensive tackle (No. 62 overall) to sign with the Seminoles since Landon Dickerson (17) in the 2016 class, per 247Sports.

247Sports ranks Simmons as its No. 9 offensive tackle in the class, while On3 (No. 10 OT, No. 123 overall) and Rivals (No. 32 OT, unranked overall) are less high on him.

Two hours into the early signing period, FSU has announced that 11 of its 15 verbal commits have signed. Receiver Hykeem Williams, defensive end Keldric Faulk, linebacker Blake Nichelson and cornerback Ja'Bril Rawls are still left.

8:51 a.m. | FSU announces signing of three-star linebacker DeMarco Ward

Three-star linebacker DeMarco Ward has signed with FSU, the program announced.

The Duluth (Ga.) High product recorded 74 tackles, four tackles for a loss, two sacks, two passes defended and a fumble recovery across nine games this season.

On3 ranks Ward as its No. 112 linebacker and No. 1,245 overall player in the class, while 247Sports (No. 123 linebacker) and Rivals (unranked positionally) exclude him from their overall player rankings.

8:42 a.m. | Tennessee QB Brock Glenn signs with FSU

FSU has its quarterback.

Brock Glenn, a quarterback from Memphis (Tenn.) Lausanne Collegiate School, just signed with the Seminoles.

Ohio State initially landed Glenn’s verbal commitment on July 30. FSU continued to pursue Glenn, though, and eventually flipped his pledge on Nov. 21. He told the Democrat that TCU, LSU and Auburn also were in his top five.

247Sports considers Glenn to be a four-star quarterback, pegging him No. 19 at his position but excluding him for its overall player rankings. Rivals (No. 15 QB, unranked overall) and On3 (No. 26 QB, No. 442 overall) consider Glenn to be a three-star recruit.

Per MaxPreps, Glenn went 74 of 126 (58.7%) for 1,413 passing yards and 18 touchdowns with three interceptions while turning 45 carries into 443 yards and seven scores across 10 games this season.

8:22 a.m. | FSU signs lone JUCO commit, DE Jaden Jones

The Seminoles just signed their lone JUCO commit in defensive end Jaden Jones, the football program announced.

At Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, Jones emerged as one of the top JUCO players nationally in the 2023 class. Rivals (unranked positionally, No. 11 overall), On3 (No. 2 edge rusher, No. 15 overall) and 247Sports (No. 5 defensive lineman, No. 21 overall) considered Jones to be a top-25 JUCO prospect this cycle.

Jones garnered three-star recognition as a high school recruit in the 2021 class. But the Montgomery (Ala.) Park Crossing product reportedly failed to qualify academically, which resulted in him landing at Hutchinson.

Houston, Missouri and UTSA were among other schools to offer Jones a scholarship.

8:13 a.m. | Three-star DB Quindarrius Jones signs with the Seminoles

When Quindarrius Jones verbally committed to FSU on June 11, he did not have a recruiting profile on Rivals and On3.

Now, Jones is a Seminole signee, per the football program.

Jones, a three-star defensive back from Meridian (Miss.) High, was relatively unknown until he caught the attention of FSU's coaching staff at a recruiting camp in the summer. The Seminoles then extended Jones his first Division I scholarship offer, prompting him to quickly pledge to them.

On3 ranks Jones as its No. 98 safety and No. 1,054 overall player in the class, while 247Sports (No. 69 athlete) and Rivals (unranked positionally) exclude him from their overall player rankings.

8:06 a.m. | FSU signs three-star receiver Darren "Goldie" Lawrence

FSU just signed its second receiver on the day in Darren "Goldie" Lawrence, joining Vandrevius Jacobs.

Lawrence, a three-star receiver from Seminole High in Sanford, had been verbally committed to the Seminoles since April 1. On3 ranks Lawrence as its No. 60 receiver and No. 417 overall player in the class, while 247Sports (No. 50 WR) and Rivals (No. 78 WR) excluded him from their overall player rankings.

Later today, FSU will look to sign five-star receiver Hykeem Williams. He's expected to announce his signing at 1 p.m.

7:54 a.m. | Four-star running back Samuel Singleton signs with FSU

The Seminoles just announced that they have signed Samuel Singleton, a four-star running back from Fleming Island High in Orange Park.

Singleton represents the first four-star running back, per 247Sports and Rivals, to sign with FSU since Cam Akers in the 2017 recruiting class. Rivals ranks Singleton as its No. 14 running back and No. 225 overall player in the class, while 247Sports (No. 24 RB, unranked overall) and On3 (No. 24 RB, No. 341 overall) are less high on him.

Per Maxpreps, Singleton turned 129 carries into 1,015 yards and 12 touchdowns while catching 10 passes for 227 yards and three scores in nine games this season.

7:49 a.m. | In-state safety Kenton Kirkland signs with FSU

In-state safety Kenton Kirkland just signed with the Seminoles, the football program announced.

Kirkland, who comes from Raines High in Jacksonville, verbally committed to FSU over Kentucky and other schools on Aug. 15.

247Sports (No. 24 S, unranked overall) gives Kirkland four-star recognition, while Rivals (No. 44 S, unranked overall) and On3 (No. 46 S, No. 479 overall) consider him to be a three-star recruit.

Per MaxPreps, Kirkland accumulated 45 tackles, two interceptions, two passes defended and a tackle for a loss across 11 games this season.

7:32 a.m. | Seminoles announce signing of four-star DL Keith Sampson Jr.

Defensive tackle Keith Sampson Jr. has signed with FSU, the football program announced.

Sampson, a four-star recruit from New Bern (N.C.) High, earned North Carolina 4A Defensive Player of the Year honors after tallying 96 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, 18 sacks, 35 quarterback hurries and six passes defended across 14 games this season, per MaxPreps.

247Sports ranks Sampson as its No. 29 defensive lineman and No. 186 overall player, while On3 (No. 25 DL, No. 212 overall) and Rivals (No. 19 defensive tackle, unranked overall) are less high on him.

7:25 a.m. | Wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs has signed with the Seminoles

Wide receiver Vandrevius Jacobs has signed with FSU, the football program announced.

The Vero Beach High product led the state with 21 receiving touchdowns this season, catching 100 passes for a staggering 1,511 yards across 13 games, per MaxPreps.

Rivals (No. 56 WR, unranked overall) and On3 (No. 50 WR, No. 342 overall) give Jacobs four-star recognition, while 247Sports (No. 52 WR, unranked overall) considers him to be a three-star recruit.

7:13 a.m. | Defensive end Lamont Green Jr. is the first NLI in for FSU

The first National Letter of Intent is in for FSU.

The Seminoles have announced their signing of Lamont "Boots" Green Jr., a defensive end from Gulliver Prep in Miami and the son of former FSU captain Lamont Green Sr.

247Sports (No. 31 edge rusher, unranked overall), Rivals (No. 26 weakside defensive end, unranked overall) and On3 (No. 26 edge rusher, No. 256 overall) each consider Green to be a four-star recruit.

Per MaxPreps, Green recorded 61 tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, 20 sacks and four quarterback hurries across eight games this season.

Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Early signing period: FSU football signing 2023 recruiting class