One Seminoles recruiting target came away impressed by his Tallahassee visit. Who's the talent now drawn to FSU?
Florida State football earned one last day in January to win over highly-touted recruits.
One four-star gave the Seminoles coaching staff music to their ears during the last Junior Day visit of the month.
Wide receiver Jabari Watkins of Thomas County Central High in Georgia visited FSU. And he didn't hesitate to tell Zach Blostein of 247Sports his answer when asked if the Seminoles are the favorite for his services.
"Yessir. Definitely," he responded to Blostein following the trip.
How did the FSU coaching staff -- led by head coach Mike Norvell and wide receivers coach Tim Harris Jr. -- win him over?
"Just really showing up and seeing everything. They bring you in as a family," Watkins said.
He added how the recruiting trip "Felt like home. It was definitely better than any place I've been at. Felt like I can play here. It just felt like home."
Again, Watkins' words is beyond encouraging for Florida State. Even despite its 5-7 finish, FSU remains fixated on landing four-star and other blue chip talent to build the roster -- and return to Atlantic Coast Conference contention.
He's fresh off catching 55 passes for 847 yards and scored 11 touchdowns during his junior season. Those numbers sparked multiple power conference teams to extend offers to him.
Watkins is nearing 30 total scholarships (28 in total as of Saturday) with multiple ACC suitors at his disposal. Blostein cites Louisville as one outside of FSU to watch among the in-conference challengers. Fellow ACC schools Cal, Duke, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh have made its run at Watkins.
But he told Blostein "Coming here really changed everything" following his Tallahassee visit and cited the "home" vibe that sold him.
"The message, it's like home. FSU will definitely be seeing something surprising coming towards them," he added.
Those last words, though, paint the picture Watkins will soon shut his recruitment down and commit to the Noles.
That could mean FSU lands its second 2027 talent to start 2026. Florida State already landed edge rusher commit Anthony Cavallaro on Friday -- who's another four-star. Cavallaro, though, rose as a big in-state pickup for Florida State and becomes a huge recruit addition for edge rush coach Nick Williams.
Cavallaro handed Norvell and FSU the fifth verbal commitment for this new recruiting cycle. The Seminoles rank No. 10 nationally for the 2027 class per 247Sports.
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