On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Florida State trending for Kenton Kirkland

Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines three-star safety Kenton Kirkland will announce his commitment to either  Florida State or Kentucky on Aug. 15. He told On3’s Chad Simmons that he is “torn right now” between the two programs.

“I am going to take a little more time to figure things out,” Kirkland told Simmons. “Both schools have made a strong impression on me, so I like a lot about Florida State and Kentucky.”

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Seminoles have a commanding lead to land Kirkland’s commitment. Following expert predictions from On3’s Michael Langston and Adam Luckett, Florida State has a 72.9% chance to earn a pledge from Kirkland. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s odds are at 25.4%.

Kirkland, a 6-foot-1, 176 pound defensive back, is the No. 475 overall prospect and No. 48 safety in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 91 player in Florida.

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Recruiting impact if Kirkland commits to Florida State

Florida State’s 2023 recruiting class currently includes 13 commitments and is composed of seven four-stars, five three-stars and one unranked prospect. The group is No. 18 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 4 in the ACC.

If Kirkland commits to Florida State, he would be the first safety in the Seminoles’ 2023 class. He would also be the second defensive back alongside Pensacola (Fla.) Pensacola Catholic cornerback Ja’Bril Rawls.

Kirkland would be the Seminoles’ eighth top-500 prospect if he chooses the program. The others are Highland Home (Ala.) four-star EDGE Keldric Faulk, Clearwater (Fla.) Clearwater Academy International four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons, Orange Park (Fla.) four-star interior offensive lineman Roderick Kearney, New Bern (N.C.) four-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr., Miami Gulliver Prep four-star EDGE Lamont Green Jr, Orange Park (Fla.) Fleming Island four-star running back Samuel Singleton and Sanford (Fla.) Seminole four-star wide receiver Goldie Lawrence.

Singleton announced his pledge to Florida State this month. July brought recruiting success for the Seminoles as well, since they earned commitments from Faulk and Simmons, who are top-105 prospects in the On3 Consensus.

Kirkland has an On3 NIL Valuation of $6.3K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. 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.