Recruiting: Notes, quotes from FSU targets who took OVs last weekend
College football's summer official visit season is in full swing. Many of Florida State's top targets were on the road visiting programs around the country this past weekend.
The Osceola looks back at where prospects like Javion Hilson, Zion Grady, Myron Charles, Byron Louis, CJ Wiley, Vernell Brown and others visited last week and what they had to say about the respective programs they spent the weekend with.
Hilson has been committed to FSU since January but still plans to take multiple official visits, including one to Florida this past weekend.
"They got me thinking," Hilson told Rivals.
Grady took an official visit with Miami this past weekend. Here are some of his quotes to Rivals following his visit. He will be on FSU's campus for an official visit this weekend.
"The visit was very good. A lot of good stuff stood out to me, stuff I never did like the boat ride or the scavenger hunt," said Grady. "Going around campus, vibing and learning a lot more about campus. There are a lot of famous people down here and my family liked it."
"They're in the top four," he continued. "I have a very good relationship with Coach Taylor."
Brown traveled up to Columbus for his third visit to Ohio State this year. While he has been to Ohio State multiple times this year, his visit over the weekend allowed him to bring his family for the first time. He spoke with the Ohio State Rivals site about his experience.
"It was the first time my entire family got to see (Ohio State)," Brown said. "We definitely left the visit with all of our questions and concerns — my mom didn’t know much about it just because she hadn’t been there before — that was the biggest thing.
"They really did a good job of showing why they’re different then everyone else."
Charles took an official visit to Florida this weekend. He was very understated in his quotes about his visit to Gainesville, which may mean something or nothing. I say that because he is a very easy young man to talk to when you can nail him down. He spoke with the Osceola at length that last time he was on FSU's campus. Here is what he told the Florida Rivals site 1stAndTenFlorida.com.
"I was just feeling how bad they want me to do what they think I can do for the program, meeting more of the players, all the D-line coaches, and the head coach all day, every day," said Charles.
"UF is still one of my top schools."
"Parents and brother enjoyed it."
Wynn took an official visit to Georgia this past weekend and here is some of what he told our Rivals partner UGASports.com.
"It gave me more time to hang with the players and get to talk to the coaching staff and to build a better connection than I already had," Wynn told UGASports. "Those people at Georgia are like a brotherhood, man. They're close with each other. They've got a great bond and are fun to be around. You wouldn't expect them to all be like that, but they care for each other."
"It was an amazing time, man. It was a phenomenal time down there," Wynn said. "... Georgia is like a family."
Louis began his official visit slate by visiting Miami. One of the main contenders along with Florida State, Miami had the first crack at Louis this past weekend. Here is what he told Marcus Benjamin of CanesCounty.com.
"The visit was amazing," Louis said just after his visit concluded. "A lot of people did say that Miami was going to be the best visit. You can't compare. The palm trees, the energy, the people. Coral Gables alone is in their own bubble. Outside of Broward and Dade, (counties), Coral Gables got their own thing going, and I like it."
"I can see myself living in Coral Gables. Going from Coral Gables back to Miramar is a different feeling once you get a chance to interact with the people here and become accustomed to the city and lifestyle here. It's very different."
Thomas took the first of his two scheduled official visits to Clemson this weekend. Our Rivals site TigersIllustrated.com believe that Florida State still is the team to beat for Thomas' services after this weekend.
"As the Tigers have moved recently on corners with a distinctly different profile, Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage four-star defensive back Gregory Thomas remains likeliest to matriculate to FSU," Paul Strelow wrote in his recap of the weekend.
Wiley also was in Berkley this past weekend and the Trojans are making a push with the Milton wide receiver. Family connections have put USC in the running for Wiley.
"It's been a big push from USC," Wiley started. "My mother is from Los Angeles and my grandmother still lives there. My father and coach Henderson know each other. My mother ran track with Ms. (Cheryl) Taplin at LSU. Coach Riley, Simmons, and Coach Gavin have been keeping in contact and I'm excited about the campus and the program. They have a history of producing a lot of great offenses, Heisman Trophy winners, and Biletnikoff winners."
McCutcheon traveled up to Columbus for his official visit with the Buckeyes - his first official visit of the summer. McCutcheon spoke with Rivals National Analyst Marshall Levenson about his weekend in Ohio.
"The experience was really good. I was really impressed with coach (Brian) Hartline and coach (Ryan) Day, just being able to talk ball with them. The biggest part I was impressed with was hanging out with my host, Bryson Rogers. Talked to him about Ohio State and what to expect with the culture that is there. I had a great overall visit and I really enjoyed it."
"I mean, as I think about it with these days after my visit, I really enjoyed what coach Hartline had to say about the competitive aspect of Ohio State and that if you go there, you're not only just going against offense versus defense, but you're going against your brothers. The people in the room get each other better and better each and every day."
Haywood began his official visit slate in Tuscaloosa, where he spent the weekend with the Crimson Tide. He spoke with Rivals site TideIllustrated.com after his visit.
“It was a great experience,” Haywood said. “It was better than I expected. As somebody growing up and being an Alabama fan … Going out to see the facilities, meet the coaches and meet the players, the genuine love … It’s way different. So it was a great experience.”
Carter was one of many Florida State targets to visit Florida this past weekend. The Newberry (Fla.) defensive tackle told Rivals that the team bond at Florida was unlike anything he has seen elsewhere and it could be a major draw for the in-state prospect. He noticed quarterback DJ Lagway hanging out with the defensive linemen and the linebackers. It made a huge impression that the players like each other and like to spend time not only with their position group but all together.
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