Just In: Florida State football program turns heads with historic recruitment moment
Zae Thomas makes Seminole history with his commitment to Florida State
Securing a four-star recruit is always a notable achievement for a top-tier college football program. Yet, the commitment of four-star cornerback Gregory “Zae” Thomas to the Florida State Seminoles carries an extra significance. In the 122-year history of the Florida State football program, no member of the Seminole Tribe has ever played for the team. This will change in the Fall of 2025 when Zae Thomas takes to the field in Tallahassee, making his commitment especially noteworthy and meaningful.
Zae Thomas is the 1st Member of the Seminole Tribe to ever play for the Florida State Seminoles
Pretty awesome #History #GoNoles 🍢https://t.co/bRtVp1QxP3 https://t.co/AeXOy5E10U pic.twitter.com/ujafnuY4Sk
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 1, 2024
Ranked 291st overall in the class of 2025 and considered the 29th-ranked cornerback by On3, Zae Thomas ultimately chose to commit to Florida State over various powerhouse programs in the southeastern region, including Clemson, LSU, Miami, Texas A&M, and Tennessee, among others. Speaking to On3’s Chad Simmons, Thomas detailed why he believes Florida State is the ideal destination for his promising collegiate career.
He emphasized that the coaching staff’s unwavering communication and attention from the start played a pivotal role in his decision. Thomas reflected, “The staff made me feel like a priority from the beginning, they never stopped the communication, and on Thursday, I made my final decision to commit to Florida State. They answered my questions, they showed me a lot about the fit and Florida State is a perfect fit.”
One significant factor contributing to Thomas’ decision is the presence of Patrick Surtain, the cornerbacks coach at Florida State, who previously served as Thomas’ high school coach. Thomas expressed his deep connection to Surtain, stating, “My old head coach will be my position coach. I have known him since third grade and we have a great relationship. He made an impact on me when he coached me in high school, me and my dad have had some great conversations with him and he knows how to coach his players. Coach Surtain is a tough coach, but he also knows how to love on you as a player or a person.”
Equally influential in Thomas’ decision was the impact of head coach Mike Norvell, who has played a pivotal role in revitalizing the football program at Florida State since his arrival in 2020. Thomas praised Norvell’s transformative effect on the team, noting, “Coach Norvell has completely turned around the program. Anyone with eyes can see that Norvell has flipped things at Florida State and he has the belief back. Not many believed in him when he came in to try and fix things, but they do now. He is a great coach, his energy never changes and he is a winner that is there for his players.”
Mike Norvell sparks a turnaround at Florida State
Following a successful four-year coaching stint at Memphis, where he accrued a 38-16 record and led the team to four bowl game appearances, Mike Norvell arrived at Florida State with the ambitious objective of restoring the Seminoles to their former national prominence. This mission came on the heels of Willie Taggart’s two-year tenure, which seemed to have regressed the program to a state even predating the Bobby Bowden era.
While Norvell endured losing seasons during his initial two years in Tallahassee, the team performed considerably better over the subsequent two seasons, achieving a 23-4 record. Despite a flawless regular season and clinching the ACC Title last year, Florida State controversially missed out on a College Football Playoff berth due to the injury of their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis. Expressing his discontent, Norvell strongly criticized the NCAA and the CFP selection committee, proclaiming that their decision to exclude his team from the four-team Playoff “goes against everything that is true and right in college football.”
Nevertheless, this setback has not impeded Florida State’s upward trajectory. According to On3, the Seminoles currently boast the 12th-ranked recruiting class for 2024, and the recent signing of Zae Thomas has propelled FSU into the top ten for the class of 2025.