Zaydrius Rainey-Sale has FSU among top three ahead of July 1 commitment
Zaydrius Rainey-Sale traveled nearly 3,000 miles from Washington to Tallahassee for his official visit. And it didn’t disappoint.
“The visit was amazing,” Rainey-Sale said. “I loved every second of it. It was good, had fun with the coaches, the staff, the players.”
The distance from home is more of a question mark for Rainey-Sale’s mom than the four-star linebacker from Spanaway. After he shared his impressions of his visit to Tallahassee in November, Rainey-Sale wanted to make sure she could see it for herself.
“It meant a lot,” Rainey-Sale said. “She is the 'confirm' type of person. I told her about it and she said, ‘Dang, I got to see it for myself.’ She has seen it, she liked it, she loved it here.
“It’s hard for her (the distance). She loves her little baby boy. I got to make sacrifices, man.”
Rainey-Sale said he has three finalists in Florida State, Washington and UCLA with a commitment set for July 1. He committed to Washington on Jan. 8, but backed off after Kalen DeBoer’s departure for Alabama. Rainey-Sale will visit Washington, now led by coach Jedd Fisch, next weekend.
What’s important as he weighs those three schools?
“Academics is a big piece to it,” Rainey-Sale said. “Knowledge is the key to life, for real. And I really want to be developed as a player, as a man for the next step of my life. That’s really my thing.”
The connection to FSU has always been there, despite the distance.
“I always have a strong feeling for FSU,” Rainey-Sale said. “I really thought this was supposed to be my place in the first place. Coach Norvell, always keep the energy with him. Being here, seeing his energy every day. My mom witnessing it too. It’s going to be a good fit, I feel like.”
Rainey-Sale smiled often during his interview early Sunday before flying back home. He talked of the connection between coach Mike Norvell and the players. And also of what linebackers coach Randy Shannon is looking for in his room.
“Being versatile, that’s his thing,” Rainey-Sale said. “You can’t be a 250 (pound) linebacker nowadays, you have to be able to do it all. He’s shown me what my tape, his tape, the players’ tape and really opened my eyes and seen how I would fit.”
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