Florida State DL play, coaches make strong impression on 4-star Booker Pickett

Of all the recruits on campus Saturday for Florida State’s second spring scrimmage, there weren’t many more important than four-star defensive end Booker Pickett.

The last time Pickett made his way from Tampa to FSU was for the Clemson game last fall, and the result this time might have been better for the Seminoles. Pickett liked several things he saw on Saturday, starting with the way the Seminoles’ defensive linemen performed.

“It was what I expected. I expect them to be violent … I liked their hands, they were violent,” Pickett said. “I liked the way they countered. I know the coaches taught them [that]. … I like the way they also attack the quarterback.”

The four-star pass-rusher also enjoyed getting to watch Florida State defensive coordinator Adam Fuller in action. He said the two have been growing closer throughout the recruiting process.

“It’s going well. I call Fuller up, he calls me up. It’s not really like a coach, it’s like a friend,” Pickett said. “I like his energy. He’s really loud. … I like the way the coaches coach [at FSU]. And seeing that affects the school I go to because I can finally see what they are like on the field.”

Even though both of Picketts’ parents went to the University of Miami, it has been well-documented that he actually grew up a Florida State fan.

“When I was younger, I started liking them because my mom and dad went to Miami, so I was like, I wanted to be the villain,” the defensive end said. “They didn’t like it, but I just kept doing it because, you know, I liked FSU.”

And he still does. The Wharton High standout says he still has, “a lot of love for FSU.”

Even though things sounded promising for Florida State after Saturday’s visit — Pickett said FSU is one of his “top schools” — he said he is not ready to say that the Seminoles will get one of his official visits.

“We might be building to an official … they’ve gone up for sure,” he said. “I like them a lot. I like the environment that they have here. … There’s a lot of great things this place can offer — a top-20 education, top-five football, all of that. So it’s just different.”

Whether it’s an official or not, Pickett said he does plan to come back to Florida State at some point for another visit.

4-star 2025 DL Myron Charles impressed by Florida State

Port Charlotte defensive lineman Myron Charles, a four-star prospect in the class of 2025, was a surprise visitor at Florida State on Saturday. And he certainly sounded pleased with his decision to check out Tallahassee.

“I definitely expect this program to be huge in the upcoming years,” Charles said, adding that his main recruiter has been veteran defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins. “We’ve been talking for a while. Me and Odell, we have a nice relationship building up. Seems like a really honest man — tells it like he sees it.”

One of the things the talented lineman liked about Haggins is that he didn’t focus heavily on football during their Saturday conversation. They talked about academics, mental health, relationships with teammates and other topics.

“Things like that, just things away from the sport,” he said.

With things still being early in his recruitment, the 2025 prospect mentioned Alabama, LSU and Colorado as other schools high on his list.

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