4-star safety Ta’Shawn Poole commits to Florida State over Georgia and Tennessee
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Florida State landed one of the Peach State’s top defensive backs.
Four-star safety Ta’Shawn Poole announced his commitment to the Seminoles, choosing Mike Norvell’s program over finalists Georgia and Tennessee.
The Macon (Ga.) Howard standout, ranked No. 75 in the Rivals Industry Ranking, entered the summer with Florida State carrying much of the momentum after his official visit to Tallahassee. Tennessee remained firmly in the hunt throughout the process.
That last trip to Tallahassee proved to be the difference.
“On that official visit, about two days after that visit, I really started to feel like Florida State was the one,” Poole told Rivals. “Georgia really came on, and Tennessee was always up there, but after going back and forth, I knew the school.”
Several factors made the difference.
“The culture, the tradition and the relationships I have with all the coaches. My aunt is an alum, too. That was not a big part of the decision, but it feels great now. I just have great relationships with everybody there. My connections with the coaches at Florida State were different.”
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The Florida State culture continued to stand out every time he returned to campus.
“The energy, the family, the people, the fans, the coaches, the GMs, the trainers — even outside of football. Everything about it stood out to me.”
Head coach Mike Norvell also played a major role in closing the deal.
“He flew up here from Tallahassee to see me, he wanted me and he recruited me hard,” Poole said. “We’ve been on the phone a lot, FaceTiming and talking about things behind the scenes. He closed the deal for me. Coach Norvell made a big difference.”
Georgia made a serious late push after hosting Poole for his final official visit, while Tennessee remained firmly in contention until the end. The decision was far from easy.
“They got close,” Poole said of the Bulldogs. “Tennessee did too. The feeling about Florida State was the strongest. I feel great about my commitment to Florida State.”
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