4-star CB Jamari Howard commits to Florida State: 'There is so much love there right now'

Florida State was one of the first schools to offer Miami (Fla.) Norland four-star cornerback Jamari Howard back in January of 2022.

The Seminoles remained in contact since then, but turned things up a notch this spring and summer, making him one of their top priorities in the secondary. After taking official visits in June and thinking things over, he set a commitment date.

But the No. 136 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking has known where he wanted to be for a while now, and that’s Tallahassee. On Friday, he made his commitment to the ‘Noles official.

“I have been to Florida State for a lot of visits, and it just feels like home,” he told On3. “I was at the Florida game last season, and that is where I first had that feeling. It was home and I started thinking more about Florida State since that visit. I will be back this weekend for the Miami game and it will be exciting to go as a commitment.”

FSU has been Howard’s top school for a few months now. Ever since the spring, the communication has picked up and he felt like a priority. He considered other schools like Florida, Rutgers, and Maryland, but the program under Mike Norvell was just different.

“Since the summer, I knew I was going to Florida State,” he said. “There is so much love there right now. And for me, the fans, the players, the coaches, the stadium and the execution put Florida State on top.”

Howard feels the love from FSU’s staff

One of the biggest deciding factors for Howard was also his relationship with the ‘Noles coaching staff — and the whole coaching staff.

“Ryan Barton, Greg Boss, Randy Shannon, Pat Surtain and Mike Norvell all reach out to me like every day,” he said. “They showed so much love, and that meant a lot to me. It felt great to hear from them like that. All of them are different types of coaches that I can talk to about different situations, but hey are all great guys who care for me and recruited me hard. They all make sure I am doing good on and off the field.”

Howard is equally excited about the program’s future under Norvell, and he wants to be the next great Florida State defensive back.

“Coach Norvell is bringing Florida State back to how it was,” he added, “and we are off to a great start, now we have to finish that way. Coach Norvell and the staff has the team doing big things and we are going back to the top.

… From Deion Sanders to Jalen Ramsey to Derwin James, they have a history with defensive backs. They have put out some great players and my goal is to be next. I want to be that guy, and I trust Norvell and that staff to get me ready.”