Impact Analysis: LB Rosendo Louis a major piece of FSU's recruiting puzzle

Tuesday was a night to remember for Deerfield Beach linebacker Rosendo Louis, as he made his college decision in front of a big crowd in South Florida. Louis picked the Seminoles over Miami, South Carolina and Oklahoma.

As one might imagine, Louis was quite excited and relieved to get the announcement out of the way and let everyone know about his future plans. But he said he actually reached the decision much earlier.

"I actually knew I was going to Florida State after that Jimbo Fisher camp visit in July," he said. "It was home to me, and I knew in my heart. But I committed and called the staff up a week ago. Coach Fisher was so excited. It feels great to be a Seminole."

There were many reasons why Louis picked Florida State, from the close bonds he saw between the players and coaches to the way head coach Jimbo Fisher was relentless in his pursuit.

"It was home for me," he said. "Talking with the whole coaching staff and being around everyone was like a family I've never seen. Not to mention Coach Jimbo Fisher told me he doesn't want me but needs me. And he made that very clear every time we spoke. He said they weren't going to let up until they got me."

Louis, who already is 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, will likely play middle linebacker at Florida State. He's widely considered one of the best linebackers in the state of Florida.

Louis plans to enroll in January, and he's already looking forward to being part of the Seminoles' program.

"They will see a lot of leadership, discipline and how relentless I am as a worker," Louis said. "I love to hit, but I would say the area I've improved the most on is my cover skills. I've improved a lot there. This offseason, I would work specifically on coverage, technique ... and adding more speed."

Louis said he is confident he'll be able to enroll early because his family has taught him to place a strong emphasis on academics.

"You can't play football without the grades, and that's always the way I was brought up," he said. "Education is always the key to being successful in life. I've made that a big priority in my life with grades and the importance there."

While he had a strong relationship with Fisher and some of the Seminoles' current players, Louis also credited linebackers coach Bill Miller with being a major draw.

"He played a big factor for me," Louis said. "At one point in time, FSU wasn't in my top group of schools. But once I started talking with Coach Miller, the vibe and feeling was building. Our relationship was strong because he was direct about how I would be used, how much they wanted me and the type of impact I could make. So he was an important factor."