FSU Football's 2024 Newcomer Class Ranks Highly Across Nation

Florida State's combination of high school recruits and transfer portal signees makes for a strong 2024 newcomer class.

Apr 20, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Malik Benson (10) runs with the ball during the Spring Showcase at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida State Seminoles turnaround to recapturing an elite status under head coach Mike Norvell can be attributed to a few things. One of the biggest advantages Norvell brought to Tallahassee was transfer portal success, as he and his staff embraced bringing in seasoned players early in the movement.

The success in the portal has trickled down to high school recruiting, helping the Seminoles land plenty of blue-chip recruits to help reload the roster moving forward.

How recruiting is viewed and judged has changed, though. Bringing in a class full of five-stars waiting to be developed isn't the only goal in recruiting anymore. Short-term roster reloads in the transfer portal have been made possible.

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ESPN recently went on to rank "newcomer" classes in the 2024 offseason -- combining portal additions with the 2024 high school recruiting classes. Florida State ranked No. 11 across the nation with a combination of a couple solid additions from high school and a strong portal class.

Florida State's 2024 high school recruiting class

The first part of the Seminoles newcomers is their 2024 class -- which is one of the best in the ACC and ranked No. 12 in the nation according to 247Sports. The class is headlined by two new offensive weapons -- tight end Landen Thomas and running back Kam Davis.

"Florida State signed one of the top classes in the ACC coming off a 13-win season and there's enough talent to produce several contributors this year," ESPN wrote. "Thomas and Davis are a pair of ESPN 300 signees to watch."

The two have legitimate chances to make instant impacts with the program. With the way the team rotates both positions and utilizes them, both could be involved during their true freshman campaigns.

Davis, a 5-foot-10, 220-pound running back, is going to be a part of the team's running back rotation right away, and his body is ready for it. He'll help replace the production of Trey Benson and Thomas provides quarterback DJ Uiagalelei with another target after Jaheim Bell left for the NFL.

Florida State's 2024 transfer portal class

The Seminoles do just as much work in the portal as they do on the high school recruiting trail. With Florida State losing a hefty amount of production from a season ago, a roster reload was needed and the impacts couldn't be fully replaced by high school recruits.

The team reloaded in the portal, starting with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who brings a wealth of college football experience to Tallahassee. The team equipped him with weapons, too, adding Malik Benson, Jaylin Lucas and Roydell Williams as a few impact players who will help transform the offense.

"Florida State also added several transfers from an Alabama program that edged it out of the playoffs in 2023. Williams was a productive contributor with the Tide and runs with a nice blend of speed and power. Despite minimal production at Alabama, Benson ranked as the No. 1 junior college prospect in 2023 and brings good hands and elite game speed," ESPN wrote. "He's a needed big-play weapon in the passing game for a Seminoles program that lost its top three pass-catchers from 2023."

Defensively, Marvin Jones Jr. and Earl Little are two players with incredible upside to put on garnet and gold and truly break out.

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