Four-star DE Tobi Haastrup previews Florida State official visit

Houston (Tx.) Mayde Creek defensive end Tobi Haastrup is quickly becoming one of Florida State's priority targets on the lead-up to early signing day. The four-star erupted on the recruiting trail just two months ago and now is in the middle of a flurry of visits as he goes through an accelerated recruiting process.

He has already made a visit to Texas A&M unofficially and has taken official visits to LSU, Boston College, and Missouri. He wraps up his official visit to Ole Miss on Sunday, and then it's Florida State's turn as they host Haastrup for the North Carolina game this weekend.

Haastrup had absolutely no idea what to expect heading into the process, as he had never so much as been to a college game before. Now multiple visits in, he has a better idea of what to look for when he arrives in Tallahassee in just a few days.

"Just seeing if the relationship that we've had over the phone translates to real life and just understanding if I'm actually being wanted to come in and make an impact on a team," Haastrup said. "As well as going through the academics and how well I could grow in my life after football. Also talking with the head coach because all the different coaches I've talked to during these visits, I've definitely seen differences. I want to see these coaches and what they have to say. Whatever they have to say to me and how that can change my perception of things that I previously thought about a school."

Haastrup has begun to develop an idea of what to look for as he speeds through a typical two year process in just four months.

"These visits have definitely opened my eyes to knowing and seeing who just wants me as a number and who really needs me to make an impact on a team," Haastrup said. "So I feel like having gone through these visits, I can get that vibe so I know for the future what to look for. These visits have really set me up for knowing what to look for in a coach and a program itself."

Haastrup's perception of Florida State coming into the visit is a positive one. When he first got offered by the Seminoles, he explained that Florida State was one of the programs that the coaches at Mayde Creek pushed early as a good fit for what he was looking for.

But fortune has not been too kind on the Seminoles, as the 0-2 start that existed when he was offered has spiraled into 1-7. But that does not factor into Haastrup's recruitment.

"Definitely not. To be honest, one season could be good and one season could be bad. That doesn't really alter any of my decisions. I don't necessarily look at, 'OK, what's this team record?' And decide I'm not going there. That's not me. I'm looking for who is going to develop me, what we can do and what are the mistakes that we've made this season that we can improve on next season. If I see the coach has thought type of traits to improve from those mistakes, I'm all for it. Not everyday is Christmas, you can't win every game," Haastrup explained.

The Seminoles coaching staff has been keeping in regular contact with Haastrup since they offered him on September 10th.

"Coach (Andrew) Wilson and Coach JP (John Papuchis) have both done a great job reaching out to me and really checking on me since the first day they offered me. I see the consistency and it means a lot. When a coach shows consistency, it shows the great aspect of them wanting me as a player and not just a number. I appreciate the fact that they consistently reach out to me, ask questions and try to build the relationship we have," he said.

Florida State has the chance to make a fresh impression on the four-star and in a way that is very rarely seen in today's world of high school recruiting. While he did play football briefly in the 7th grade, Haastrup only started putting on the pads a few months ago. The world of college football and the fanaticism behind it was completely foreign to him. Digesting the atmosphere and traditions of the each program has been a completely new experience, and Haastrup said that he has zero idea what to expect when he comes to Florida State on Nov. 2 — but that he is excited to find out.

I didn't spoil a single thing, Seminole fans.

Haastrup has a few more stops scheduled before making a final decision on Dec. 2. He has visits scheduled to Texas Tech (Nov. 9), Illinois (Nov. 16), and finally Virginia (Nov. 23) before he goes into decision mode for a week and commits just two days before early signing day.