Down to the wire: Woodie mulls other offers, then signs with FSU

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It wasn't a done deal the minute his father joined the Florida State coaching staff.

Far from it, in fact.

Raymond Woodie III, one of the top defensive back prospects in the country, admitted on Wednesday that for a large portion of his recruitment, Louisville was actually his leader.

But when it came time to put pen to paper, when it came time to decide on the next four years of his life, he decided to stay in his new hometown and play for his dad.

"Honestly, it was really close," Woodie III said. "The recruiting coach that recruited me (at Louisville) left, and I just kind of fell in love with Florida State more and more, talking to Coach (Harlon) Barnett. Then me and Coach Taggart knowing each other, he's kind of like an uncle to me. At that point, that's when it was Florida State.

"But it was a real tough choice."

This doesn't appear to just be "recruit-speak" either. He wasn't trying to build up the drama. Woodie III said he didn't tell his parents that he was going to Florida State until this past Friday.

Until then, he truly wasn't sure.

"My dad kind of let me do it on my own," Woodie III said. "He never really pressured me into it or anything like that. He let all the other coaches recruit me. He let everybody recruit me."

And when he finally told his parents of his decision, well, the reaction was what you might expect.

"They were excited," Woodie III said. "Everyone was excited. Then my grandparents found out today."

That's when all of his teammates found out as well.

In a ceremony at his Tallahassee high school, Florida High, Woodie III sat at a table in the middle of the gym. He had T-shirts from Cal, Ole Miss and Louisville there with him.

He stood up and thanked everyone at the school and just about everyone in his life before calling teammate Anthony Belton to the middle of the gym. Belton, with his back to the crowd, then took a hat out of his backpack and gave it to Woodie III.

It represented Florida State.

And as soon as Woodie III put it on, the crowd erupted into applause and then an impromptu warchant.