The Polk County area is loaded with elite-level talent on a yearly basis, and the 2019 class is clearly no exception.
Warchant's Spring Recruiting Tour made its way over to Lakeland and the Auburndale area late last week to catch up with some key targets on Florida State's radar, including Rivals100 DB Brendan Gant, Rivals250 tight end Keon Zipperer and four-star defensive end Lloyd Summerall.
Watch the video below and read the complete report to find out where FSU stands with each prospect and get the latest on their recruiting process.
Lakeland Kathleen: Gant's ties to FSU could pay off for 'Noles
Long before he was a Division-I recruit, Brendan Gant was a fan of Florida State football. And long before Willie Taggart took over as FSU's head coach, he and Gant already were building a close relationship.
Now that Gant has emerged as a Rivals100 prospect and Taggart has taken over at FSU, things certainly seem to be lining up quite nicely for the Seminoles.
"Me and Coach Taggart have a tight bond," Gant said. "I've been recruited by him for four years. He's a guy that you feel comfortable talking about anything with, and I trust him a lot. Everything is together and family when you are there at FSU. You see it with everything he's doing there."
It also doesn't hurt the Seminoles' chances that Gant is close with his main recruiter, FSU defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins, who is from Polk County and played high school football at nearby Bartow High.
"He's as genuine as they come, and he's one of us from this area," Gant said of Haggins. "He knows what it takes to be the best, so the connection is like family when you are around Coach Odell."
The Rivals100 defensive back was previously committed to Alabama, and he is still considering the Crimson Tide to go along with FSU, Miami and Florida. He has visited each of those schools, with the exception of UM, but plans to make a trip to Coral Gables this summer.
While Gant does not claim a leader, he definitely likes what he is seeing from the changes under Taggart at Florida State.
"Defensive coordinator (Harlon) Barnett stopped by last week. I also called him after practice to talk about how things are going," Gant said. "We mostly talked about things away from football. He wants to play a much more aggressive defense with his defensive backs. I feel comfortable with him as well. I'm planning to get back over there this summer for sure."
While he has not yet set up his official visits, it sure sounds like FSU will be one of his five destinations.
