Brendan Sonnone

Tallahassee

FSU Beat Reporter at 247Sports

Host at On The Bench: An FSU football podcast

FSU Beat Reporter at CBS Sports

"It's so scary how right the things you're saying are. And you're coming at it with almost no knowledge, so of course I trust your opinion on this."

Articles

Top 200 WR Keeyun Chapman down to two, nearing a decision

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

Will FSU make a final push for the big WR target from Alabama? Four-star wide receiver Keeyun Chapman is down to Florida State and North Carolina as he narrows in on his college decision. The product of Jackson (Ala.) will make his choice on June 27. He was at FSU on an official visit earlier this month and was in Tallahassee as well as around the coaching staff on Wednesday for FSU's team 7-on-7 tournament.
BS Scouting Services, DT Tico Crittendon - Big dude can move

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

Tico Crittendon is a substantial addition to FSU's 2026 DL classFlorida State picked up what might be its most significant defensive addition to date this cycle with the commitment of Tico Crittendon, who picked the Seminoles after visits to Georgia and Texas Tech (as well as cancelling a Tennessee OV). I'm really high on this addition for FSU. Here's why... History/Statistical Profile+Listed at 6-foot-4, 300 pounds. +Claims 460 lb. squat, 330-pound bench press, 365-pound dead lift per MaxPreps.
What will Duce Robinson's production look like with expanded usage in 2025?

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

What will Duce Robinson's production look like with expanded usage in 2025? Florida State's passing game will go as far as Duce Robinson takes it this season, as long as the Seminoles can consistently get him the ballFlorida State's passing game will go as far as Duce Robinson takes it this season. The FSU legacy and four-star transfer has unique physical tools as a 6-foot-6 target who can make plays downfield at a high level.
Shades of dominant pass-rush reps from FSU DT Darrell Jackson

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

Darrell Jackson's pass-rush production was on-par, if not better, than a couple of first-round draft picksVIPWas Darrell Jackson good last season? Well, I'd argue that -- at the least -- his good reps were often great. Jackson had 30 QB Pressures last season (8th among 300+ lb. DTs per TruMedia via PFF). He's in good company, as you can see below, with three 2025 first-round draft picks highlighted in addition to Jackson). But don't let the numbers alone sway you.
BS Scouting Services, LB Noah LaVallee

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

Florida State gets a nice addition with Noah LaVallee. LaVallee has the size and strength to be a key contributor, but what does he need to improve on? Florida State beat out Ole Miss in a head-to-head battle for Noah LaVallee, securing a commitment from the three-star prospect and younger brother of recent FSU linebacker Caleb LaVallee. LaVallee is a highly productive linebacker in the highest classification of Georgia football and a plus athlete. What is FSU getting in LaVallee?
FSU’s 40 Most Important Players: Tier 2 - Can the production match the elite physical tools?

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

In composing this list, I found myself torn between three players for No. 2. Thank goodness for tiers, right? And that's sort of the point of this exercise: Who is clustered together in a thought process of most valuable? This grouping consists of three players who have at least one elite physical tool in their arsenal, and some level of production that would point to a baseline of competency. But the question, for all three, is whether they can ascend in increased roles?
BS Scouting Services: DL James Carrington - Why they call him 'Tank'

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

This is how an 87 grade is defined by 247Sports:"Any prospect found here usually has one key trait that signals long-term potential. The floor might be lower than some of the prospects ranked ahead of them, but they have a higher ceiling than the prospects below them."This is also a recruit who does offer some NFL upside.
OTB: ZB's CBs

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

Zach Blostein led the way with a big ol' Crystal Ball prediction as Florida State wrapped up a major weekend of official visitorsZach Blostein led the way with a big ol' Crystal Ball prediction as Florida State wrapped up a major weekend of official visitors. Blostein explains why he put in a CB for five-star corner Chauncey Kennon aka Chuck Kennedy, and what a win would mean for the Seminoles.
Xavier Tiller is 'really, really' high on FSU as he leaves OV, enters decision-making mode

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

Four-star tight end Xavier Tiller exited his Florida State official visit with the Seminoles high in his mind and with the intention of entering decision-making mode. "They stand really high," Tiller said Sunday morning. "Really high. You'll see. Really high."FSU was the final OV for Tiller, a product of the Langston Hughes High in Fairburn, Ga., following up summer officials to Alabama and Auburn.
FSU's 40 Most Important Player CountUP: Tier 1 - QB1 and only QB1

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Brendan Sonnone

And so it begins, but not the way it normally begins. This year, for the countdown of Florida State's 40 Most Important Players, I wanted to flip it, shake it up, and just make a mess of the entire process.