5-star CB Charles Lester III announces top three schools, Florida State official visit

Sarasota (Fla.) Riverview five-star cornerback Charles Lester III has locked in an official visit with Florida State for June 16. He also announced a top three of Alabama, Florida State and Georgia.

Lester III was originally set to visit Ohio State on June 16 but canceled that trip. He’ll instead take officials to Alabama (June 2), Colorado (June 9), Florida State (June 16) and Georgia (June 23).

Lester III is the No. 13 overall prospect and No. 2 cornerback in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 4 player in Florida.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), the Seminoles are the heavy favorite to land a pledge from Lester III. They currently sit at 91%

Sorry for confusion! Here is my official visit schedule! (i will no longer take an official to Ohio state University) i am down to 3 schools (UA, FSU, UGA) all questions should be answered here!
Alabama🐘:June 2-4
Colorado🦬: June 9-11
FSU🍢: June16-18
Georgia🐶: June 23-25

— 5🌟charles “CL3” lester III (@cl3slimee) May 17, 2023

Florida State leading the pack for Lester III

Florida State has hosted Lester III more than any other school and he visited multiple times during the spring. He was last at Alabama and Georgia in April visiting the schools a week apart.

In late April Lester III spoke with BamaInsider’s Joseph Hastings and noted that a leader had emerged in his eyes out of the schools that were recruiting him.

“I would say Florida State is the leader right now in this process for me,” Lester said. “If I had to choose today, I would go there. That’s the first time I’ve told anybody that. … To be honest, Florida State is my No. 1 school right now.”

“It would mean the world to me,” he added on regarding a potential commitment to the Seminoles. “I know there are many great programs out there, but to be able to play for FSU, it would mean more to me than any other school because of my pride and connection is great. I’m a childhood fan of the Seminoles, and there’s something about that place I feel home, and it’s special. There’s a lot of history to be made at FSU.”

For more Florida State recruiting intel, check out Warchant.

Lester III currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $285K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.