Florida State was the school that kicked it all off for De Kalb (Miss.) Kemper County offensive tackle Mario Nash Jr. The Seminoles offered Nash on June 13, 2023 and kick-started a recruitment that has resulted in Nash Jr. becoming one of the top tackle prospects in the country.
That long-time relationship is ultimately what moved Nash to follow through on his official visit to Florida State despite being committed to Mississippi State since June.
"Florida State has been talking to me since they were the first Power 4 team to offer me," Nash said. "They've been keeping their relationship (with me) the same throughout. It's been better every time I come here."
The Seminoles elected to bypass the first round of official visits with Nash, as they scheduled this past weekend's official visit late in the spring. While the Seminoles were a top choice for Nash at the time, he ultimately committed to Mississippi State over a number of different suitors.
Nash made as many as four unofficial visits to Florida State since his initial offer — getting a heavy dose of the day-to-day operation of the football program. For his official visit, it was more about the things outside of football.
"Well, I wanted to learn more about academics, the campus and college town. How it feels outside of football ... They presented everything that I've been looking for — the missing pieces to Florida State. So I got everything that I had been looking for."
Nash got to take in the atmosphere of Doak at night for the second time in his recruitment as the Seminoles hosted Clemson.
"The O-Line did pretty good," Nash said on the game. "I know they've got a lot of key players are out and stuff. But the main thing was that even when they were down 17-0, they kept fighting. That's what they did with my recruitment. They saw me commit to Mississippi State but they still kept fighting. That's what I like to see about Florida State."
For a recruitment that has taken course well over a year where Florida State was exceeding and now struggling, Nash knows it's not always about wins and losses.
"In football there are a lot of ups and downs. A team is not going to go undefeated every year. It's about how you handle it and how you come after losing. At my high school, we were just 1-9 (last season) but this year we are undefeated. It's not about the lows, it's about who you want to be down with. Somebody that is going to get up and keep fighting," he said.
Florida State is not the only school pushing hard to flip Nash from Mississippi State. Ole Miss has been another program fighting hard to keep Nash home — albeit in different colors than the maroon and white.
Does Florida State have a chance against the in-state programs?
"They do (have a chance)," Nash said. "I still like Florida State but I committed to Mississippi State because they were the best school for me at the time. But at the same time, my recruitment is still open."
Following the publication of this article, Nash decommitted from Mississippi State just mere hours after leaving Florida State early on Monday morning.
Nash's commitment might now have more of a garnet and gold shade to it.
Follow The Osceola on Facebook
Follow The Osceola on Twitter
Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple
