Blake Nichelson has traveled a long way twice this summer to visit Florida State.

After taking an official visit to FSU in June, the 2023 three-star linebacker again traveled the 2,500-plus miles from his home in Manteco, Calif., to Tallahassee for an unofficial visit in late July just before the dead period began.

Perhaps because of the distance traveled, he made the most of the visit, spending four days at FSU from Thursday through late Sunday afternoon before flying back home.

The length of the visit gave Nichelson plenty of time to explore the place he could be calling home.

“I got to go to CollegeTown, kind of explore Tallahassee itself,” Nichelson said at the end of his visit. “Getting to know the place more outside of just the school and football, seeing where I could be going for the next four or five years.”

Nichelson ranks as the No. 28 linebacker and No. 36 player from California in the 2023 class. Although he didn’t receive a scholarship offer from FSU until May, he has quickly built strong relationships with people within the program.

He and his parents made the trip and were frequently accompanied by FSU general manager of personnel Darrick Yray, who originally hails from Linden, Calif., about 30 minutes from Nichelson’s hometown.

He also got to spend quite a bit of time with FSU linebackers coach Randy Shannon, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and coach Mike Norvell. That last one in particular surprised Nichelson considering he was visiting during the first few days of preseason camp.

“A lot of head coaches, they just talk to you a couple times, they’re not really involved with you,” Nichelson said. “I’ve noticed him as a head coach, he’s very involved with everybody, the recruits. He’s there for you…

“I was kind of just seeing the program again to see if my official (visit) was just a put-on, to see if it’s the same thing. From this visit, I can tell it’s the same thing, how Florida State is. They’re gonna give you the same thing every time.”

The fact that FSU is playing a Week 0 game and got to start practice earlier than almost all the rest of the country meant Nichelson got to watch a few practices while in Tallahassee.

“I really liked their intensity and how the practice was set up. It seems like a great practice to me,” Nichelson said. “Some places, I don’t really like the practice structure. But here, it’s something that really stood out to me.”

He had the chance to watch the FSU coaches in action and talk with a number of commits, including defensive lineman KJ Sampson and offensive lineman Lucas Simmons at the Seminole Showcase recruiting event Saturday.

All in all, the visit provided another chance for Nichelson to further build relationships at FSU despite the physical distance that normally separates him from campus.

“I definitely felt more comfortable because I know basically all the coaching staff by now so I’m comfortable with them,” Nichelson said. “They know me as a person by now too so it wasn’t me meeting people, it was building upon that relationship.”

Upon leaving FSU’s campus Sunday, Nichelson said he expects to take a few days off from recruiting. He doesn’t have a commitment date set yet, but said he hopes to announce it before the start of his senior season.

Although he is slightly considering Wisconsin after receiving a scholarship offer recently, he still considers himself down to his final three of FSU, Oregon and UCLA.

What will be the biggest factor in his decision?

“The people and the coaching staff, but I feel like mainly the people because coaches will go other places and you have those people around you, the fans and friends, all that, that’s a big factor because they’re the ones that are going to be with you the entire way through,“ Nichelson said. “Basically, whatever is going to be best for me and my career, wherever I’m gonna thrive and get developed to be the best player I can be.”

That definitely works at least somewhat in FSU’s favor as Nichelson said he experienced a level of personal star power during this visit to Tallahassee that was unlike any he had experienced previously.

“I got recognized by some random people (in Tallahassee). That’s never happened to me, especially being this far from my hometown,” Nichelson said. “In my hometown, I get recognized sometimes. But getting recognized by FSU fans in general, it’s different.”

Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel

Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple

Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Spotify