7/1/2023 football Edit

4-star cornerback Ricky Knight III commits to FSU

Patrick Burnham • TheOsceola

Football/Recruiting Analyst

Cornerback prospect Ricky Knight III from West Palm Beach (Fla.) Cardinal Newman High announced on Saturday that he has committed to Florida State coach Mike Norvell.

Knight, who is 6-foot and 172 pounds, chose FSU over Miami and Illinois. He is a four-star prospect and ranked as the 18th-best cornerback and No. 165 overall recruit in the 2024 class.

Knight made his decision after taking official visits to Illinois, Miami and FSU in June.

“For (Florida State) to be the first (program) to believe in me says a lot," said Knight prior to his official visit with the Seminoles last month. "I had no stars, no name for myself and, yet, they still took a chance on me. That says a lot about who they are as coaches and a program. ...

"Coach Norvell is the man. After they offered me my first scholarship in January, we’ve built an amazing relationship. He isn’t a faker. He’s trying to sell me on a dream, and he tells me it’s real. He told me straight up that if I didn’t want to work and didn’t want to be pushed that Florida State is not the best place for me.”

Analysis of Knight

"Ricky Knight is one of the best slot corners in the state of Florida," said Osceola Recruiting Analyst Charles Fishbein. "He has very quick feet. This allows him to position himself between the ball and the receiver. He is able to change direction and not lose much momentum. He is not afraid to come up and challenge a receiver. Knight is also a solid open-field tackler."

"Knight has excellent speed and closes on the ball very quickly," said Osceola Recruiting Analyst Pat Burnham after watching Knight's HUDL highlights. "He is comfortable playing off coverage or tight-man or press-man coverages. Knight is physical and is not afraid to give run support although he does need to a better job of not leaving his feet when trying to make a tackle. He also has the ability to flip his hips and turn and run with wide receivers in press man. You don't see anyone run by him. He also shows a good understanding of leverage and where his help is coming from when pursuing the ball."

Please click on the link below to view Knight's HUDL highlights.

Ricky Knight III - Hudl

FSU's 2024 class

FSU currently has 13 prospects committed to its 2024 recruiting class after adding two on July 1 in Knight and four-star defensive end Daniel "DD" Holmes. Knight is the first cornerback to commit to the Seminoles' 2024 class. Two other prospects committed to FSU, Lawayne McCoy and BJ Gibson, play on both sides of the ball for their high schools but committed to the Seminoles as wide receivers.