Florida State continues to lead for 2023 OT Roderick Kearney

The Seminoles are still No. 1 for the one of the top offensive linemen in the country.

Some of the top recruits in the 2023 class made their way to Tallahassee over the weekend for junior day and to watch Florida State's first spring practice. After visiting campus in January, top offensive tackle Roderick Kearney returned on Saturday and he had a great time.

“I had a great time with the coaches and some of the players that came up here," Kearney said. "They really had a great story to tell and I learned a lot from it.”

During the practice, Kearney stuck with the offensive linemen and paid close attention to coach Alex Atkins. The experience reinforced his opinion that Atkins is an exceptional coach and developer of talent.

“Just from this first spring practice, I already knew coach Atkins was a great coach," Kearney said. "He just kind of made it even better by me coming up here in person and watching him in action. I feel like he does a great job with those guys and it’s only going up from here.”

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One of the unique aspects of the weekend was a number of alumni returning home to Florida State, including a few offensive linemen who are currently playing in the NFL such as Cam Erving and Rick Leonard. They spoke to the recruits in a group and talked about making a legacy at FSU.

“The whole thing was about legacy," Kearney said. "Leaving a legacy behind so kids want to be them like them one day and make their own legacy at FSU.”

The Florida native is building a strong relationship with coach Atkins. They've connected on a football level and expanded that to a personal level. Kearney says that they both understand each other very well.

“That’s my guy," Kearney said. "Me and coach Atkins, we’ve got a good bond. Not only on a football note but on a person-to-person level, man to man.”

"Coach Atkins, he isn’t a person to sugarcoat nothing," Kearney continued. "I already know what’s up with coach, he already knows what’s up with me, we already know how we see each other so there’s nothing to be said."

Following his visit in January, Kearney named Florida State the early leader in his recruitment. After Saturday, the Seminoles are still in front, in large part due to the way that the staff has connected with him outside of football.

“Yeah, they’re No. 1 right now.”

“They just show me more than every other school did," Kearney said. "It’s just a feeling. I like the way everyone goes about their situations. Everything is about family, the culture is different. Coaches are usually all about football, football, football, not what you have going on in life. That’s why I like them because they really get down to the family part.”

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Next up for Kearney is a visit to Gainesville on March 18. Outside of that, nothing else is set in stone right now but he would like to be at Florida State on April 9 for the spring game.

Kearney is taking his time to weigh all of his options with the current plan to make his commitment to a school in December. He says that he's seen all that he's needed to from the Seminoles.

Stick with NoleGameday for more on Kearney throughout his upcoming senior season.

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