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Mike Norvell arrives to watch FSU 5-star TE commit Landen Thomas in style

hunterby:Hunter Shelton•09/08/23•

HunterShelton_

Mike Norvell
© Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County five-star tight end Landen Thomas is one of three top-30 prospects committed to Florida State. The 6-foot-4, 238-pounder is the top-ranked tight end in the 2024 cycle — per the On3 Industry Ranking — and is a key piece of the future for Mike Norvell and the Seminoles.

Thomas and Colquitt County are set to take part in a major Peach State showdown against Lee County on Friday night. With the spotlight on the future Nole, Norvell decided to make the trip up to Georgia to watch Thomas in action.

He decided to show up in style, however. The fourth-year skipper, fresh off a top-10 throttling of LSU, opted to arrive via helicopter.

Thomas flipped to FSU from Georgia on April 17. He’s the third highest-ranked commit in the class, behind Buford (Ga.) Five-Star Plus+ safety KJ Bolden and Venice (Fla.) five-star cornerback Charles Lester III. The Seminoles’ class ranks No. 5 in the nation, per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking.

“Coach Norvell has done so many good things at FSU,” Thomas told On3. “Just thinking about how they were his first year to now. He is building it back to where they used to be. All the coaches are. And another think I like about Coach Norvell is he’s gonna push you because he knows how good you can be and he’s going to tell you that.”

In three games entering Friday, Thomas has 11 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. Thomas has an On3 NIL Valuation of $253K. 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.

Thomas not alone in love for Norvell

Thomas’ admiration and want to play for Norvell is not unique. Many of the players that have pledged to the Seminoles have made it known that what the head coach is building in Tallahassee is something that they want to be a part of.

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“Florida State has been my dream school since I was growing up. Since I was a kid, I always wanted to go there. I also really like what Coach Mike Norvell is doing with the program,” Bolden told On3 upon his commitment.

“He always reminded me that it was my heart and the way I think …,” Lester told Warchant. “He said if he doesn’t coach anyone else, he wants to coach me, just because of where I’ve been and how prideful I am. So that’s the connection between us two. And just hanging around with him, I see how prideful he is, energetic. I mean, that guy’s special.”

Both Bolden and Lester were in Orlando attending FSU’s season-opening win over LSU, further solidifying their commitments. Thomas told Warchant that he plans to attend several Seminole home games this season.

“A lot of them,” he said. “I will be at the Miami game and Virginia Tech, and probably the game against Duke.”