Florida State was not originally amongst the top schools that Cartersville (Ga.) Cass High School offensive guard Bear McWhorter was considering.

The 6-foot-4 and 290-pound lineman trimmed his list of 28 offers to nine contenders back in October - a list that included Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Clemson and LSU.

A visit from new offensive line coach Herb Hand at Cass on Jan. 9 changed things, as McWhorter knew he needed to give the Seminoles another look. McWhorter made the trip down to see Hand and check out Florida State during the junior day event on Saturday.

"Coach Hand was the driver behind that (my visit). Me and him have had a great relationship for a really long time so as soon as he got the job and came up to my school, I knew I had to go down and see him," McWhorter told the Osceola.

"Me and him really see eye to eye on a lot. He's old school and loves toughness and effort and that is what I am all about. That is exactly what he likes about me, too," McWhorter added.

McWhorter's trip to Tallahassee was the first time that he's been on campus since October 21, 2023, when the Seminoles beat Duke in a top-25 ranked showdown. McWhorter visited a few other times in 2023, including a junior day like the one on Saturday where he got offered.

In coming back to Tallahassee, McWhorter had an extensive conversation with Coach Mike Norvell where they recalled some of those earlier meetings his freshman year.

"I was really impressed by his attention to detail," McWhorter said of Norvell. "He was bringing up stuff me and him had talked about my freshman year and he remembered even more than I do from those conversations. He was just super thankful that I was giving FSU another look and told me I was a top guy for them."

In addition to the arrival of Hand as offensive line coach, new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's rushing offense is also something that might renew interest in the Seminoles.

"I love that about him (Gus). I love to run the ball and pull and get out in space so that is something that is very attractive to me," McWhorter said. "They view me as a versatile guy. Primarily interior. It doesn't matter to me, I can play all five positions and will do whatever to help my team out and get on the field."

Did the Seminoles do enough with their visit to get back in the mix with the four-star?

"They are definitely a lot higher with me," McWhorter said. "I'm gonna sit down and look at everything in February and try to narrow down my list, but FSU certainly didn't hurt their chances with me."

Norvell will be traveling to Cass High School on Thursday to once again meet with McWhorter, where the two sides will be discussing a potential return visit to campus among other things.

McWhorter is ranked as the No. 11 offensive guard prospect in the country.

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