Earlier this week, the Florida State football staff had to deal with some tough news as offensive line commit Jake Slaughter announced he was flipping to the Florida Gators.
On Sunday, the Seminoles turned the momentum back in their direction.
Niceville offensive lineman Kimo Makaneole had been waiting on an FSU offer for a little while, and once that came through on Sunday, Makaneole announced he was committing to the 'Noles.
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The offer came on a phone call from FSU head coach Mike Norvell and OL coach Alex Atkins. Once Makaneole heard the magic words, he went ahead and committed on the spot.
*INSTANT REACTION: What the the Makaneole commit means to the 'Noles
The commitment wasn't a huge surprise as the Niceville High standout had very high praise for Atkins and the Seminoles when he spoke with Warchant earlier this year.
"Me and Coach Atkins have a really good relationship," the rising senior said. "Me and him always talk about things that I need to fix with my game from my junior year. He clearly wants to help me become a better player and succeed overall. He really cares about his players. It says a lot that he's doing this even though I haven't been offered yet. Everything Coach Atkins tells you is very genuine and is straight-forward."
*EARLIER STORY: FSU turns up the heat on OL Makeole
There were plenty of other suitors in this recruitment, including Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Louisville. Clemson and Alabama had also shown interest.
Makaneole had more than 30 offers overall. But in the end, it was the comfort Makaneole had with the FSU staff that paid off.
"I feel a strong comfort with this staff, and I'm very high on them for sure," he said earlier.
Makaneole becomes the Seminoles' 14th commitment in the 2021 class.
