On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: New leader for 4-star CB Charles Lester III

Sarasota (Fla.) Riverview four-star cornerback Charles Lester III announced a top five of Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Ohio State on New Year’s Day. He recently told On3’s Chad Simmons that three of those schools have moved to the top of his list.

Florida State is one of them and the Seminoles are now leading for Lester III, following an expert prediction from On3’s Sam Spiegelman. According the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Florida State is trending for the blue-chip defensive back at 79.1%.

Lester III is set to return to Tallahassee on March 10. One of things he wants to do at Florida State is spend more time with new defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain.

“My goal that weekend is to really get closer to coach Surtain,” Lester III said on March 3. “I’ve took numerous visits to Florida State, so I’m very familiar with the people around there. Since he’s new, I want to become closer with him, just get a chance to make that bond stronger so that my intention for Florida State is the same.”

“We talk face-to-face,” he added about Surtain. “He looks like a humble guy, like a passionate guy. Just learning his background and doing a little bit of research on him, I feel like it was almost a perfect fit for Florida State. Just moving forward and getting to know him more, it’s a blessing for me to connect with special people like him.”

For more Florida State recruiting intel, check out Warchant.

The 6-foot-2, 171-pound defensive back is also close with head coach Mike Norvell. He added that his relationship with Norvell is the “biggest bond of them all.”

“With our relationship, anyone could leave, (but) I’ll still love him,” Lester III said. 

Lester III is the No. 21 overall prospect and No. 3 cornerback in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 6 player in Florida.

On3 rates Lester III higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 4 player in Florida.

Lester III has an On3 NIL Valuation of $234K. 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.