6/28/2023 football Edit

High-priority Orlando-area 2024 OL Tye Hylton enjoys Florida State visit

Tye Hylton said FSU coaches told him he could line up at tackle or center. (Bob Ferrante)

Lee Wardlaw • TheOsceola

Recruiting Writer

Tye Hylton said that he’s visited Florida, Miami, and UCF a couple of times more than Florida State in 2023, but the Seminoles still remain in his top 5, along with Penn State.

In July, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound three-star offensive tackle from Oviedo, Fla., will sit down to contemplate the pros and cons of those schools, and then he will make a final decision — likely before the first game of his senior season.

In the meantime, the Seminoles remain top of mind.

“The (visit) was great. I can’t lie, it was a really good time. I really like coach (Mike Norvell) and the whole staff,” he said.

Hylton has already visited Florida State on several occasions. He said he didn’t learn too many new things about Tallahassee, but the concept of a strong brotherhood within players in the Seminoles’ locker room was reinforced.

It’s something that he loves to see, and it could ultimately end up bringing him to sign with FSU.

“It’s really like a brotherhood. Everybody here is so tight, so close. I really like that, personally, (especially) with development, because older guys would be helping me out,” he said.

Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins’ message to Hylton remained the same that it has throughout the whole process: that he would be a great fit for the program on and off the field.

Coaches told Hylton that if he were to sign with the Seminoles, he would start at offensive tackle and potentially get some snaps at center once he settles into the offensive scheme.

When speaking with the prospect, Atkins said that he has coached plenty of players with his size, frame and skillset, and that the Oviedo product was capable of developing into a top-notch prospect in Tallahassee.

The official visit was very similar to past trips to campus, but a bit more detail-oriented, Hylton said. It was also important to continue to build relationships throughout the entire coaching staff, which the prospect was able to do with senior offensive analyst Gabe Fertitta and offensive graduate assistant Cooper Williams.

“(Fertitta and Williams) are close, even with my family, so building that relationship early on (was important),” he said.

Hylton’s mother was already blown away during her first visit to campus, and that didn’t change this weekend. His father enjoyed it as well.

This was his mother’s main concern, and the Seminoles appeared to meet her needs.

“The fact that she knows that somebody will be there for her kid when times get tough, (she wants) a home away from home (for her son) and wants to know who I would be dealing with when she’s not (around),” Hylton said.

Above all else, brotherhood is the most important factor in Hylton’s final decision, which is very strong within the Seminoles’ program, Hylton reiterated.

“I wasn’t surprised, that’s really the truth, when they say ‘brotherhood’ here. That’s really strong here,” he said.