At just 15 years old, four-star offensive tackle Hayden Ainsworth decided to reclassify from the 2027 class to the 2026 class at the end of February.

That's when the communication with Florida State picked up quickly. The Seminoles offered Ainsworth in November of last year and while the communication was there between both sides, it skyrocketed following his decision to reclassify.

That has led to a visit for Florida State's spring scrimmage on Saturday to fully meet the new coaches and see what the Seminoles had to offer.

"The contact has been really high and it definitely seems like they're excited to have me over there. That was made pretty well known while I was there. And with the reclass, they are on board with it. We asked every time prior to it what their opinions on it and they were on board with it. It was really comforting to hear that and the development of our relationship has skyrocketed," Ainsworth said.

"It was electric, everyone was flying around - even the coaches. It's a great staff. The last time we were up there, the staff wasn't where it was now. They've had a lot of new coaches, especially on the offensive side of the ball, come in and switch some things around mentality-wise," he added.

Of course, one person comprising that new staff is offensive line coach Herb Hand, who Ainsworth has found a lot of common ground.

"He's got a fire in him, for sure. He's a very well-rounded individual. We were talking with him for a good 40 minutes straight the other day. He's a man of God, which is really nice to have as a coach. I think that's really big. I put my faith in God and he does as well. That's very good common ground (to have) because at the end of the day, football doesn't last. He's a great coach. It was a scrimmage so I didn't see a whole lot of his practice drills but his breakdown of processing what he likes to see and the fact that I fit a lot of that criteria - it made us mesh really well," Ainsworth explained.

Another thing that Ainsworth got to see during the scrimmage was the early installments of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's offense - an offense that Ainsworth feels like prioritizes offensive linemen.

"They mentioned it multiple times but they build their run offense off of a base of inside zone," Ainsworth said. “That’s phenomenal to hear as an offensive lineman - the fact that we are being put first there. It was really comforting to hear they want to run the ball. Yeah, I like that."

Just prior to his trip to Tallahassee, Ainsworth dropped a list of top 10 schools that he is considering. Only five of those schools have locked in official visit dates, but after his visit to Tallahassee on Saturday, the Seminoles are destined to get one, too.

"We don't have a date set yet but we are absolutely going to do one. No doubt," Ainsworth said.

Starting in June, Ainsworth will see NC State, Nebraska, Liberty, North Carolina and Ole Miss - the Seminoles likely slotting into a midweek visit when all is said and done thanks to a successful visit on Saturday.

"It was a really great trip. In all honesty, it definitely helped my process and put some more questions in my had that need to be answered or definitely some excitement in my head for sure ... It was definitely eye-opening. Obviously as of right now, I don't have a No. 1 team but a group of teams I'm high on. But it definitely moved the needle - further than I probably thought it would for just being a spring scrimmage."

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