Kalen Deloach: "I feel like Florida State is just the right fit for me"
Kalen Deloach had a list of offers on his profile, but over the last few months, he was really focused on Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Michigan and Tennessee.
The 6-foot-1, 205 pound linebacker out of Savannah (Ga.) Islands spent time in Tallahassee over the weekend and he did not leave before committing to the Seminoles.
"I was talking with coach [Raymond] Woodie about the position they liked me at, we were going through plays and things like that, then I told him I wanted to commit," Deloach said Sunday evening.
"He was the first coach I told. I don't think he was expecting me to commit like that, so he was very excited. This is his first recruiting class at Florida State, so he was excited about me being his first linebacker commit in this class."
Deloach said he chose Florida State over Auburn and Michigan in the end. He felt he was ready to make his decision.
"I thought it would happen before the season, so after I felt like I found the right school for me, I wanted to commit.
"It was a tough decision, but I kept going back to what school I best fit at and it was Florida State. When I was at Florida State, the players, the coaches, the atmosphere — everything just felt right.
"I feel like Florida State is just the right fit for me."
That feeling really started back early in 2018. When Deloach was in Tallahassee for a Junior Day, that visit really opened his eyes. In his mind, that visit put Willie Taggart's program right in the thick of this race.
"When I was there for the first time and tried that Florida State uniform on, that is when I really started to feel Florida State," said Deloach. "I was in the uniform, I heard the war chant and I ran out of that tunnel. It was a great feeling.
"That is when Florida State really started to make that move."
Jimbo Fisher moved on to Texas A&M after winning a National Title at Florida State. Fisher left after a 7-6 record in 2017. Deloach thinks Taggart will win at a higher level.
"I think coach Taggart will take the program back to where it was. I think he will take Florida State back to being consistently in the National Championship game and winning more consistently.
"He is a coach that loves to be around his players and you do not see that a lot. We have a strong bond and I feel he is going to win a lot at Florida State."
The season is right around the corner and Florida State opens with Virginia Tech September 3. Deloach plans to be in Tallahassee multiple times this season, but he still could visit other schools too.
"I just want to make sure I don't miss anything," said Deloach. "I am probably going to take other visits just to make sure I have that same feeling as I do now.
"I am happy to be committed to Florida State and it feels great to kind of be done with recruiting. Not many get to play at a school like that, so being to say I am one is something I am happy about."
