FSU football lands another one; Alabama TE West commits to 'Noles
Huntsville, Ala., tight end Jackson West is not a typical college football prospect in 2020.
He hasn't attended a slew of recruiting events. He doesn't post on social media. Until he received an offer from Florida State a few weeks ago, many Seminole fans weren't even familiar with his name.
That is about to change, as West announced on Monday morning that he is committing to the Seminoles. While he has not yet been evaluated by Rivals, the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder has received more than 25 offers and has become a hot commodity in recruiting circles.
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West, who becomes FSU's 10th commitment for the Class of 2021, has a longstanding relationship with head coach Mike Norvell and attended a Junior Day in Tallahassee earlier this year.
*ALSO SEE: Langston's follow-up thoughts on West and TE recruiting for FSU
Because he doesn't post on social media, Jackson was kind enough to release a statement to Warchant.com about why he picked the Seminoles:
"After months of prayer and virtual tours, studying film, and researching majors I have reached a decision to continue my education and football career at Florida State University. There were many factors that influenced this choice, but probably none more so than the numbers that Coach Dillingham (offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham) showed before film breakdown when I visited Tallahassee for Junior Day.
"Numbers don't lie and there were some impressive numbers. Since 2016 Coach Norvell has averaged over 3,800 passing yards a season, with an average of 13% of those passing yards targeting his TE's. I believe that Coach Thomsen's (tight ends coach Chris Thomsen's) coaching strengths overlap well with my weaknesses and I look forward to being sharpened in those areas. I have seen the gains Coach Storm (strength coach Josh Storms) has produced in the current FSU players in the short time since the staff took over and I feel like his strength program will help me be a better contributor on the field. As a competitor I love to win. I believe that a return to greatness is imminent at Florida State under Coach Norvell and I want to be a part of it.
"Finally, my intended major is Computer Science and FSU offers a lot of options with that field of study. I would like to Thank God for giving me all the opportunities that I have been blessed with, and my parents for helping me supporting me in every way during this process. Last, I am grateful to have had the best coaches, teachers, and principals instructing me up to this point. Thank you. I carry what each one of you has poured into me and I hope to make you proud."
West later shared more information about his decision with Warchant.
"I'm very excited about being a 'Nole and feel confident that Coach Norvelll and the FSU staff is going to take us to greatness," the Alabama product said. "I actually was talking with (new FSU commit) Joshua Burrell the other night, and he's a great guy. I think the big thing for me is my relationship with Coach Dillngham, Coach Norvell and Coach Thomsen. I actually knew I was going there a week ago.
"I've known Coach Norvell for a long time, so I knew what he's about and I knew for sure that was the place for me."
FSU will look to add another tight end in this class, with most of the attention focused on four-star prospect Michael Trigg, who has been considered an FSU lean so far. Not to mention FSU has been quite active with highly touted tight end Erin Outley.
The West commitment is the latest positive development in a huge week for the Seminoles. Over the past three days, they have landed commitments from three high school prospects and two Division-I transfers.