Coming off an open date, Florida State started Georgia Tech week with less than stellar news on Monday night.
Four-star interior offensive lineman Roderick Kearney from Orange Park, Fla. has flipped his commitment from the Seminoles to rival Florida. With the decommitment of Kearney, the Seminoles’ 2023 class is now ranked 19th in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
BREAKING: Top-100 prospect Roderick Kearney, an Under Armour All-American offensive lineman, has flipped to the #Gators.
I submitted a flip prediction for #UF a number of weeks ago.
STORY: https://t.co/8ZVkaHbbO9 pic.twitter.com/irpaSCazSG
— Corey Bender (@Corey_Bender) October 24, 2022
Simmons Peaks
Four-star Lucas Simmons from Clearwater is the lone offensive lineman commit for the recruiting class. After Kearney decommitted, Simmons reaffirmed his commitment to the Seminoles on Twitter:
Nole nation we still locked in!🍢🍢 #Tribe23
— Lucas Simmons (@LucasSimmons55) October 25, 2022
“Everything Glitter Ain’t Gold”
This recruitment for Kearney has been quite unusual given that he officially visited Florida on June 24. After his official visit in Gainesville concluded on June 26, Kearney posted on his Instagram story that, “Everything Glitter Ain’t Gold”.
Minutes later, the talented offensive lineman committed to Florida State.
What Happened?
Fast forward to the start of the regular season, the Orange Park native decided to take an unofficial visit to Florida on Sept. 3 to watch the Gators defeat then-No. 7 Utah in a packed Ben Hill Griffin Stadium by a score of 29-26.
To make matters worse for FSU, Kearney grew up a fan of the Gators. After the unofficial visit to Gainesville in September, it seemed as though the Seminoles were losing traction on his recruitment.
Who to Monitor
The Seminoles have a couple of offensive linemen on their radar for the 2023 recruiting class. Notable prospects to monitor would be four-star DJ Chester and three-star Christopher Otto. Florida State will likely only take three offensive linemen this cycle.
Edit and featured image by @Hayesfawcett3 on Twitter/On3 Recruiting