Monster Flip! Nation's No. 1 tight end, Landen Thomas, switches commitment from UGA to FSU

After visiting Florida State twice this month, the No. 1 tight end in the country, Landen Thomas, has flipped back from Georgia and is now committed once again to the Seminoles.

Thomas, who stars at Colquitt County High in Moultrie, Ga., announced his decision Monday afternoon and went in-depth about it during an interview with Warchant’s Michael Langston.

He is a five-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking and the No. 20 recruit in the country.

“I always loved Florida State; they were always in the back of my mind,” Thomas said. “They always kept in contact with me through my recruitment from the beginning until now. I just fell in love with Tallahassee. I’ve been loving them, but now, I just fell in love. More and more of my relationships have gotten way better with the coaching staff and everything, and I just felt like it was the right move for me.”

***MEMBERS EXCLUSIVE: Michael Langston breaks down the backstory on Thomas’ flip***

Thomas was committed to Florida State early on in his recruitment, from April 2021 to October of the same year, before committing to Georgia last July.

He explained that he wasn’t thinking about flipping back to FSU until he got back on campus for a Junior Day in January.

“When I went back in January, because I hadn’t been there in like a year, I forgot how it feels,” Thomas said. “I was there like eight hours. … First, we had a meeting with the recruits and stuff like that. It was kind of similar to when I was coming before, but it was different though. I don’t know what it is, it just felt different.”

That visit in January only planted the seed for Thomas to become a ‘Nole, and now he says he couldn’t be any happier.

“It feels great,” Thomas said. “I’ve been thinking about this for like a month, like two months now. … I started thinking about it in January. Then as time more and more went on, I started talking to my parents about it. Like, ‘I’m thinking about flipping back.’”

Thomas said he built tremendous relationships with the Florida State staff throughout the recruiting process. On his visits, he said, he would just spend a lot of time in the player lounge talking with tight ends coach Chris Thomsen.

“When everything was over, we chilled. We played arcade games and stuff like that,” Thomas said. “Off the field, [Coach Thomsen] is a really chill person. You can talk about anything with him. But on the field, he’s going to coach you and make sure you’re doing everything right as a tight end, and he’s going to hold you to it.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Thomas said he loves Norvell’s passion and enthusiasm, which is on display at all times.

“He’s got a lot of energy,” the five-star tight end said. “You could tell, like, just the vibe of him. He’s always yelling, like very energetic. Makes you feel good because you know he’s going to bring the best out of you. And it’s going to be fun to be around someone who’s got a lot of energy.”

This will be Florida State’s third addition to the 2024 receiving corps this week, following the Seminoles’ recent commitments from four-star wide receivers BJ Gibson and Lawayne McCoy.

“I think the class is going to finish Top 5,” Thomas said.

While the Georgia standout undoubtedly will be a weapon in the Florida State passing game, Thomas said he actually loves — and maybe even prefers — to block.

“I could see myself like a Johnny Wilson, but … blocking and stuff too,” he said. “You’ve got to block if you’re a tight end. … I like creating holes for my receivers and stuff like that. Getting them ways to go score.”

The 6-foot-4, 238-pound tight athlete also loves the way the Seminoles use their tight ends.

“They are finding more ways now that they have a more athletic tight end now,” Thomas said. “So I think Jaheim [Bell] will get way more touches than what the previous tight end did. He’s just different.”

In the end, Thomas said he is mostly just excited to help get Florida State back where it belongs.

“I just can see the way that they’re trending up, from like when Coach Norvell first came,” he said. “They improved so much. And then I feel like from now, they’re going to get better and better.”

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