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Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff Writer
A night after seeing his program improve to 7-0 for the first time since 2014 with a win over Duke, Mike Norvell and Florida State secured a recruiting victory just as significant.
Five-star defensive lineman Armondo Blount Jr. (No. 4 overall in the 2025 ESPN 300) flipped his commitment from Miami to Florida State on Sunday.
“I feel like Florida State can develop me better as an athlete and as a person,” he told ESPN.
This is HOME!!!! I have been discussing with family and I have decided that Florida State is where I am meant to be! I want to thank everyone who have been a part of my recruitment process. I am locked in with my decision 🙏🏾God bless. 🍢🍢 @Valentiauntrell pic.twitter.com/yGgJ9dTB4X
— Armondo Blount (@ArmondoBlount) October 22, 2023
He’s the top defensive end in the junior class. He also confirmed to ESPN that he’ll be reclassifying into the 2024 class.
Florida State’s 2024 class currently ranks seventh overall and has 10 ESPN 300 pledges, highlighted by five-star safety Khalil Bolden (No. 15 overall).
Blount, who initially committed to Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes on Sept. 14, was in Tallahassee over the weekend to see Florida State beat Duke 38-20 behind an offense that scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to finally pull away.
A product of Miami Central High School, just more than 10 miles from Miami’s Coral Gables campus, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Blount has 32 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 8 sacks through five games this season.
“The coaches, they told me they were ready to break me [down] to get me better, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
He specifically mentioned associate head coach/defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins, who has been part of the Seminoles football program for 30 years, as a big selling point.
“Coach Odell [Haggins] has developed a lot of D-linemen, brought them in to see [what they’re made of] and built them up. So [it’ll be good to be] in that situation,” Blount said.
The Seminoles last signed a five-star defensive end in 2017, when the No. 1 defensive end in that cycle, Josh Kaindoh (No. 13 overall), joined the cycle’s top defensive tackle, Marvin Wilson (No. 4 overall), in a class ESPN ranked fourth.
