Florida State needs a running back commitment in the 2027 recruiting cycle. They offered three-star prospect Tai Phillips nearly two weeks ago, and he’s already locked in an official visit for June 5-7.
FSU has strong competition for Phillips. At the moment, the Alabama Crimson Tide is said to be setting the pace for his recruitment. However, once the Seminoles offered, they catapulted up Phillips’ list significantly, setting up quite the battle for landing his commitment.
Phillips plans to make his decision pretty soon, and he spoke about why Florida State is one of his top options.
“I feel like something that stood out to me always about Florida State was the culture there. They have history. Even in the past, you could always see them as a contender, no matter who they were going against,” Phillips told Rivals.
FSU’s staff is working diligently to get Phillips to commit. DJ Daniels, who is the director of recruiting strategy for the Seminoles, has taken multiple trips to visit with Phillips during the spring. Once he arrives on campus next month, it will be his first time in Tallahassee.
First impressions are huge, especially in the recruiting game. A great visit with Florida State could possibly put them in the lead for Phillips.
“I feel like that’ll definitely influence it a lot,” said Phillips. “It really just comes down to going down there and seeing how I like it. I need to see if it’s really the place for me.”
Phillips is the No. 938 overall player and the No. 77 running back in the nation per Rivals’ industry rankings. In the state of South Carolina, he’s the No. 16 prospect.
It was a very productive junior campaign for Phillips at Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He ran for 919 yards and produced 12 rushing touchdowns. For his senior year, Phillips transferred to Irmo High School in Columbia, South Carolina.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Florida State battling SEC school for running back target
Reporting by Matthew Lenix , FSU Wire / FSU Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
