The Florida State football staff picked up its first commitment of June on Sunday evening, and it was a significant addition for the class of 2022.
Fort Lauderdale product Omar Graham Jr. not only is the Seminoles' first linebacker commitment for this cycle, but he is the second prospect from South Florida to jump on board. His addition gives FSU nine commitments for the class of 2022, and the 'Noles now rank No. 8 nationally.
After announcing his decision to join Florida State over Miami, Auburn, Penn State and others, Graham talked with Warchant more in-depth about his decision, his connection with the Seminoles' coaches, the moment when he knew he had to be a Seminole, and his fun commitment announcement.
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So what was this day like for you, Omar ... finally announcing your commitment and doing it live on Instagram?
This was such a big release to finally announce it because I've been wanting to do this for a while, and I'm so happy to be home now at Florida State.
You took your official visit to Florida State just last week. When did you actually let the staff know for sure you were committing to FSU?
I would say Sunday before I left [my official visit], I told Coach Norvell (head coach Mike Norvell) and Coach Marve (linebackers coach Chris Marve) my plans that I was canceling both my official visits. Coach Norvell was so fired up, and Coach Marve could not wait. Everyone was so fired up about it. I was silently committed going into the visit. The official visit just made it quicker to happen, I would say.
So what was it about the way the Florida State staff recruited you that separated them from other schools?
I would say they were consistent throughout everything. The communication was so strong all the time. Never slowed down. Coach Marve's energy was so good, and it connected in a way that's hard to describe in how he was with my family and me personally -- that we really just hit it off from the start. Then seeing everything on the official visit was so amazing.
From talking with you after your official visit, it seemed like the video that they played of Coach Norvell on the Jumbotron really made a big impact on you. Talk about that moment.
That video on the Jumbotron really hit home. That really solidified it for me with FSU in that moment. When I saw that video, I said in my head, 'That's my head coach. No doubt." And it was such an inspiration.
Moving back to your announcement. We could tell from watching how excited your family was. Why was it important for you to announce your commitment that way?
It was really great. I mean that was really the main focal point in doing the announcement like that. I could have just had a graphic done and call it a day. But I knew I wanted to be around my family when I did this. It was an amazing moment, and I know it's going to be amazing again when I sign officially. But the main point was doing this around my family and the ones I love.
