Florida State hoping to leave final impression on elite 4-star DL LJ McCray this weekend

With a decision expected to come in the near future, there’s still multiple programs that think they have a shot to win the race for Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland four-star defensive lineman LJ McCray.

The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder is set to take an official visit to Florida State this weekend in what could be his final trip before pulling the trigger on his commitment. The likes of Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Miami are also in the mix, but Mike Norvell and Co. have a golden opportunity coming up in Tallahassee.

On the latest edition of The Inside Scoop, Warchant recruiting insider Michael Langston joined On3’s Josh Newberg to preview the upcoming visit and detail what the Seminoles need to do this weekend to feel good about a potential pledge from McCray.

“I think it’s really close with a lot of teams. Certainly Auburn made a big impression when he visited. Miami’s made a little bit of a push and then Florida’s always been the big team that we’ve heard that FSU feels like is the heaviest competition,” Langston said.

Florida State’s early involvement could benefit the Seminoles

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), it’s Florida that has the edge for McCray, while FSU sits in third, also behind Georgia. Langston see’s an advantage for the Seminoles, however.

McCray’s first visit to FSU came back in July 2022. Norvell, special teams coordinator John Papuchis and associate head coach Odell Haggins have all laid the groundwork for the Seminoles to be in the mix for the elite lineman up until his commitment.

“The thing that people seem to forget on this recruitment is FSU was one of the first to be involved with LJ from the start,” he said. “That’s really resonated with him from the start. He hasn’t forgotten that, that’s why they got the last visit official visit because they were on him before pretty much anybody so that holds strong water with him.”

Florida State is off to a flying 4-0 start and is currently a top-five team in the nation. The Noles also currently have the No. 6 recruiting class in the 2024 cycle, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking. A fifth win on Saturday against Virginia Tech could turn into a pledge from McCray, the No. 8 overall recruit in the updated On300 Ranking and the No. 7 DL in the On3 Industry Ranking.

“I think the big key, if i’m watching one thing this weekend is how he interacts with the players, because that’s something he hasn’t done. He hasn’t been around the players, he hasn’t got a feel around them … being around those players, my takeaway from what he does with that and how that connects could go a long way to determine the pecking order of where this goes, cause I think it’s really tight,” Langston said.

…I spent a lot of time with him last Thursday, I could tell it didn’t seem like a kid that knew what he was going to do. Kind of a kid that’s looking for something to spark to make his decision easier and I think FSU has a big opportunity on the field — what their product is and the way they connect with him to show him that spark that he’s looking for.”