Florida State has officially added another player to its secondary.
Three-star 2023 safety Kenton Kirkland submitted his NLI to FSU Wednesday, officially inking his months-long pledge to the Seminoles.
Kirkland, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound safety out of Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines High, has been committed to FSU since August 15, choosing the Seminoles over Kentucky. Rivals ranks Kirkland as the No. 93 player from Florida and the No. 44 safety in the 2023 recruiting class.
He also had offers from LSU, Miami, Michigan and Georgia, among others. But once he announced his commitment, he was locked in with the Seminoles, returning for unofficial visits on Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 and then his official visit last weekend with a number of other FSU commits.
In his senior season at Raines, Kirkland amassed 49 tackles, two interceptions and one tackle for loss over 11 games. He had three interceptions over his final two seasons.
Kirkland is one of three high school commits in the secondary FSU had entering the early signing period along with Ja’Bril Rawls and Quindarrius Jones. However, the Seminoles are targeting a few additional defensive backs in both the high school ranks and the transfer portal who could further bolster their numbers in the back of the defense.
Charles Fishbein on Kirkland: He is a versatile defensive back. We project him as a strong safety. Kirkland plays the ball when it is in front of him. He also is effective in run support. We expect him to contribute on special teams right away.
Pat Burnham on Kirkland: He is a very physical safety who could play in the box in high school. He is also a very good athlete with fluid hips and very good change of direction. His style of play reminds me of current FSU safety Jammie Robinson as far as physicality, only taller and potentially bigger once he gets into FSU's off-season program.
Please click on the link below to access Kirkland's HUDL highlights:
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