Recruiting Road Trip: Catching up with FSU targets at Lee County (Ga.)

There was a time when Qaeshon Sapp wasn't a dominant force for Lee County. As a high school freshman, he played defensive line and says he was very raw when he worked on the OL.

That was then, and this is now.

Sapp is currently rated one of the top 10 offensive guards in the country, according to Rivals, and Florida State is one of several schools working overtime to land him in their 2022 signing class.

If the Seminoles end up reeling Sapp in, there's no doubt that much of the credit will go to FSU offensive line coach Alex Atkins.

"Coach Atkins is a very cool and laid-back type of coach," Sapp said. "I wouldn't say he's down to earth, but he's exciting, enthusiastic, has fun and loves to joke. He's not big as a social media guy and tells me that a lot ... staying away from social media because most of the time it does bring bad habits or thoughts. He's a great coach and a young coach."

*ALSO SEE: Insider recruiting notes on Lee County's top targets for FSU

Sapp said he was impressed that Atkins was able to land Notre Dame transfer Dillan Gibbons earlier this month through the transfer portal, and he now is eager to see how Gibbons performs under Atkins' tutelage.

"Knowing Coach Atkins, he just had two Freshman All-Americans this past season, so I want to see if he can develop that kid that just got there into an All-American," Sapp said. "I am trying to see his progression as a coach more than anything."

From a trust and relationship standpoint, there might not be a college coach that Sapp feels more comfortable with than Atkins.

"What clicked with me and him more is because he involved my family more than anything," the four-star lineman said. "I haven't had a coach bring up my brother because he hasn't really been in my recruitment process because of things he had going on with his personal life. He (Atkins) shocked me one day and said, 'I just talked to your brother.' After that day, we built a better bond because he showed me he's a very family-oriented coach."