The Seminoles linebackers coach is doing his part in winning over blue chip talents. The latest is Aroson Randle Jr.
Florida State is aiming to recreate its past linebacker pipeline with legend Ernie Sims on staff.
He's already began to win over 6-foot-4 defender Gabriel Player. Now Sims has connected with Aroson Randle Jr., another four-star talent out of Garner High in North Carolina.
Randle spoke glowingly about the new linebacker coach with Noles247 on Tuesday. Even admitting to Chris Nee that he had some doubts about the upcoming visit, yet he said he came away more impressed than he'd expected.
"It was really, really good," Randle Jr. said. "I'll say coming into it, we kind of had some, not necessarily doubts, but some things that we were kind of higher on some other schools for. I think this visit right here kind of showed that Florida State, it can compare or even it's better in some ways."
He also got a strong first impression from Sims, who starred at FSU in the mid-2000s.
"Being here today, I think he's excellent," Randle Jr. said of Sims. "I think he's a great coach. I think he could help me become the best player possible."
Randle observed how Sims coaches up his linebacker unit and saw how he's a cross between multiple coaching elements.
"He's patient, but he is also adamant with his guys, and how he wants it to look a certain way, he wants it to be a certain way," Randle Jr. added. "He doesn't want them to put themselves in a box, but he also doesn't want them to get to in over their heads. It is just a good situation."
Randle is the nation's No. 8 linebacker, according to 247Sports' rankings. He's also the state of North Carolina's sixth-ranked talent by the outlet.
He's one of the state's most coveted prospects with a whopping 53 scholarship offers. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder isn't "warm" on any schools at the moment. But he holds some high-profile offers outside of FSU.
"At this point, I would say after today definitely in the top of my schools. Definitely a school I'm looking for for an official visit," Randle Jr. said.
He'd become a massive state of North Carolina victory for head coach Mike Norvell, defensive coordinator Tony White, Sims and the rest of the FSU staff. The Seminoles would have beaten four different NC representatives for Randle including Bill Belichick and North Carolina.
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