Elite 2024 CB Charles Lester’s focused on five schools

Elite Sarasota (Fla.) Riverview 2024 cornerback Charles Lester has made a strong case as one of the country’s best defensive playmakers in the junior class.

Offers have rolled in from across the country over the past year, but Lester is ready to start narrowing things down and focusing on a select handful of schools before a commitment next fall.

Among those schools, he told On3, are: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and Ohio State.

“At the end of the day, it’s the school that is the best fit for me to get to where I want to go at the next level,” he said. “It’s based on playing time a little bit, but it’s about where I can develop my skills and reach my highest peak. Whenever I make that decision, I just want to feel like it’s home and they’re going to take care of me.”

Lester said that even if he comes to a decision prior to this summer, he plans to wait until at least August to announce where he plans to play at the college level.

“At some points, I feel like like I’m getting close to a decision,” he added. “And some days I feel like I have a lot of time. But out of those five, I feel like 90 percent sure it will be one of those schools.”

Charles Lester breaks down his top five schools

Lester plans to take his official visits in the spring and summer, and he broke down why each of the five programs made his top list.

Alabama: “It’s just a championship atmosphere there. They all came together to be a powerhouse team. Coach Saban, everything is in order and will go as planned. He just recruits kids who want to win and have the same mindset as him. At the end of the day, it shows when they step on the field and they’re hard to stop.”

Florida: “Coach Raymond, he’s the GOAT for cornerbacks. That’s high on my end. All of the new coaching staff, they have the same goals and the same plan. They want to recruit highly academic kids, great football players and great people that who want to make the program great again. They’re on the uprising right now, especially with this last recruiting class this year. They’re headed in the right direction.”

Florida State: “I just love Florida State. It feels like home to me. Coach Norvell, he’s an exciting person, and he’s one of the most unique head coaches I’ve ever seen. He’s got this mindset of just climbing and climbing. As much as I’ve visited there and seen myself in Tallahassee, it feels like home. I’ve been there the most out of any college I’ve been to.”

Georgia: “They could be a twin to Alabama. They’re on that track of being a powerhouse team — a phenomenal team. Coach Kirby, he’s a great coach and that dude is crazy. I’ve been at practices, and he knows how to get after it. That’s the type of player I am, and that’s what I want to be part of. The way they work and how they carry themselves, I feel like that’s something similar to me. At the end of the day, when I get on the field, I know Coach Kirby would push me to get my all.”

Ohio State: “Coach Day, he’s a wonderful head coach. Coach Walton, he’s great with cornerbacks and he has a history with coaching great cornerbacks. They’re a championship atmosphere as well; they win, win, win and work hard. Great character on that time and how Coach Day handles things, I had a great time when I visited up there. The Horseshoe is one of, if not the best game day atmospheres, I’ve ever seen.”