A lot of things have happened since Ocala offensive lineman Jake Slaughter committed to Florida State in mid-April.
Just a few weeks after he made his announcement, Slaughter received an offer from the nearby Florida Gators. Two other offensive linemen -- and good friends -- from his Trinity Catholic high school team then committed to Auburn. And FSU went out and got a commitment from another center in Georgia, Bryson Estes.
With all of those developments taking place so close to each other, there was some speculation that Slaughter might end up wavering on his commitment to Florida State. But when Warchant caught up with the Ocala product this week, that didn't sound like much of a concern at all.
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Slaughter, who is expected to play center or guard in college, said he speaks frequently with FSU offensive line coach Alex Atkins and can't wait to play for Atkins and head coach Mike Norvell.
"I talk with Coach Atkins three to five days a week," Slaughter said. "He's very big on relationships and keeping that strong. He's super personable, so he makes it very easy. It's mainly just to check in to make sure everything is going good and see what I'm doing.
"Then with Coach Norvell, he's amazing. He's like a football genius. He's always (talking) about culture and character. I've done some Zoom calls, and we talked yesterday and we are going to do another one really soon."
Florida State fans understandably got nervous when Slaughter received that offer from the Florida Gators, since his family was very familiar with that program due to their proximity. But the 6-foot-5, 310-pound lineman said he remains confident he made the right choice with the 'Noles.
He says he will always appreciate the fact that FSU's coaching pursued him before other schools jumped into the mix.
"I feel great about FSU," Slaughter said. "I can't wait to get back right away to FSU. I feel at home there. They have been there from Day One. As soon as the staff was hired, they were on me with Coach Atkins, and they have been there for me. It's hard to not love them."
When asked to expound on how firm his commitment to FSU is, Slaughter was direct and to the point.
"I'm a Florida State Seminole," he said.
Slaughter hasn't ruled out taking visits to other schools, but he added that he will take his official visit to FSU the same weekend all the other committed players are coming to Tallahassee.
The Ocala product has been paying close attention to how things are going with the other commits, and he was extremely excited that quarterback Luke Altmyer was selected for the Elite 11 competition.
Slaughter also was happy when he heard that FSU received a commitment from Estes on the offensive line, and he's working on helping the 'Noles land other targets as well.
"Oh man, I've been talking with Bryson for awhile," Slaughter said. "I was excited. Yeah, it's a close group with the commits. We try to get on a group chat every week or two weeks with Coach Dillingham (offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham) and talk with all the commits. It's a class of hard-working, blue-collar guys, and ones that believe in the culture and family with Coach Norvell.
"But also guys that are football players. They love to grind and compete every day. I try to focus on OL guys. Right now, we are working on Michael Myslinski, and then I know Coach Atkins is working hard on Dietrick Pennington and playing Madden with him."
While things have been quiet on the football front this summer with no camps or recruiting visits, Slaughter has made it a point to keep himself busy. He works as a landscaper for three to five days a week, and he also has been working out with his teammates.
"We will usually go outside and run for about 45 minutes and then come back for another hour and lift weights," Slaughter said. "I'm super blessed to have Aaron Johnson (teammate Caleb Johnson's dad) helping, as he's a technique genius. He played in NFL Europe, Arena league and played for the Kansas City Chiefs for a little a while. My offensive line coach, Coach (Brian) Lane, is also a big part of the workouts.
"I've been working on run-blocking, and Coach Johnson is great on leg drive, and there's a lot of footwork involved. He's very savvy on that stuff."
