Elite out-of-state prospects impressed following Florida State practice, visits

There was some great young talent in Tallahassee on Tuesday as the Seminoles near the end of spring football. For two of those young prospects, it was their first time ever coming to Florida State.

Four-star offensive lineman Brandon Baker, who was in town from Southern California, was likely the main attraction from a national perspective. Baker is listed as the second best prospect in California, the best offensive tackle in the country, and 25th best player nationally, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

The Mater Dei standout said he was very impressed by day one of his two-day visit, not only by the Florida State practice but by the personalities of the coaches.

“Just to get a feel for the environment, see what they have to offer,” Baker said of his visit. “Coach Atkins (FSU offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Alex Atkins), like I said, is a real down-to-earth person. So that’s what I really had my heart set on, having to come check it out and see what he has to offer and what Florida State has to offer as a program and what they’re doing out here. …

“I’m definitely glad I was able to be here and watch practice.”

The history and culture is what really set things apart for the Santa Ana, Calif., native.

“This is what, the 25th 10-win season? That’s something you don’t see a lot at other programs,” Baker said. “Really just seeing that and seeing the winning culture here, it’s definitely something that has my
eye.”

He also enjoyed seeing the camaraderie of the Seminoles’ players during practice.

“I like how they’re all together and they all compete,” Baker said. “How they really just uplift each other. I see a couple of guys have their heads down, but also seeing others picking them up and making sure they’re good. Always something good to see.”

Although he hadn’t yet gotten his chance for a one-on-one meeting with head coach Mike Norvell — that is set for Wednesday’s portion of the visit — the fourth-year head coach already made quite the impression on the four-star recruit.

“I really like his energy … I really like how genuine he is,” Baker said. “He has high energy and seems really genuine and really down to earth. … Coach Norvell, he’s definitely building something.

“He believes that this is just the beginning. Something really great.”

Baker only has one official visit to Ohio State locked in, but he said he will be dropping a top 10 or 12 at the end of the month. Florida State is likely on that list, he said.

Top 2025 prospects check out practice

Baker wasn’t the only recruit to travel from a great distance to see the Seminoles on Tuesday as Owen Strebig also made the trip from Wisconsin. Strebig is a four-star recruit from Catholic Memorial High School and is listed at the No. 1 player in the state of Wisconsin for the 2025 class, according to On3.

“Got to sit in some meetings, meet the staff, getting to meet everyone,” the 6-foot-7 lineman said. “Most importantly, got to watch practice and got to watch the offensive line compete and see what this program is all about. … I had a good time. Definitely a place I want to get back to.”

Strebig said he has a relationship with fellow Wisconsin product Ryan Bartow, who is the Seminoles’ director of high school relations. He also had a meeting with Norvell.

“He was just telling me basically just to be a good person, be a good teammate, and be
willing to learn and get better,” Strebig said. “We really didn’t have too much communication coming into this. They did end up offering me today, so obviously I’m very thankful for that.

“I really like this staff. They weren’t just telling me what I want to hear; they were telling me like straight-shooting.”

The Florida State offense is also something that really caught the blue-chip prospect’s eye. He said he liked the tempo and the physicality.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Wisconsin is the leader in his recruitment, but other schools like Iowa, Illinois and Notre Dame are all competitors as well.

Coming back a little closer to home, 2025 four-star running back Alvin Henderson of Alabama was the other big talent taking in practice Tueasday. This is the third time Henderson has visited Florida State; only Alabama has received more visits from the four-star.

Among the highlights for Henderson was sitting in the running back meeting room and listening to Coach David Johnson work with his group.

“It kind of felt like home,” the four-star running back said. “Because like the way they were talking to me, they were like, ‘We’ve got to do whatever we’ve got to do to get you here too, because you’re a top priority for us.’ I appreciate that for working me in.”

The feeling was the same when it came to sitting down in Norvell’s office earlier in the day.

“He was pretty much telling me the same thing,” Henderson said. “I’m a top priority for the Florida State ’25 running backs class. So they are going to try their hardest to get me down here.”

As for where Florida State stands in his recruitment, it is safe to say the Seminoles are toward the top of
his list.

“I know I say a lot of schools stand high, but Florida State definitely stands high right now,” he said. “Because every time I come, it feels like home.”

Other schools Henderson mentioned were Auburn, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, Oregon and USC.

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