Jimbo Fisher and his staff did a tremendous job of rebuilding the talent base through recruiting in 2010 and 2011. There were fewer scholarships available in 2012, but the staff made the most of the 19 signees that joined the program that year. That was especially the case at a couple of key positions.
With EJ Manuel slated to move on after the 2012 season, there was a need to fill the quarterback spot with an elite prospect who could run Fisher's offense. The Seminoles hit an absolute home run, landing the nation's No. 1 quarterback prospect, Jameis Winston. The additions of the No. 2-rated defensive tackle and No. 1 defensive end also gave the program some much-needed punch on the defensive line.
In this recruiting retrospective, we explore which signees from the 2012 class met, exceeded or fell short of expectations. We also dig into how their careers played out both at FSU and into the pros.
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Florida State's 2012 Football Recruiting Class
Class Ranking: No. 6 (Rivals) / Number of signees: 19
Four-year win-loss record: 49-6 / ACC Championships: 3 (2012, 2013, 2014)
First-Team All-Americans 3*: (Jameis Winston, Eddie Goldman, Roberto Aguayo)
* Includes first-team All-Americans listed by major outlets (ESPN, AP, Camp, SI, CBS, FWAA, AFCA)
This 2012 recruiting class was ranked No. 6 by Rivals, but it was actually better than that when you look closely at the numbers. With just 19 signees, the group was higher on quality than quantity. In fact, FSU was No. 2 when you look at the average star rating, behind only Southern Cal.
All in all, the group of 19 included three five-star and 10 four-star prospects (seven Rivals100 members).
Coupled with excellent classes in 2010-11, the additions in 2012 provided the final pieces to set up Florida State's third national championship as well as the program's amazing run of 29 straight wins between 2012-14.
