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City of Champions: FAMU football offers former FSU players in transfer portal
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- City of Champions: FAMU football offers former FSU players in transfer portal
The football pipeline between Florida State and Florida A&M has been on display during the current transfer portal cycle.
Not to mention the mutual respect on social media between the head coaches - Mike Norvell at FSU and Willie Simmons at FAMU.
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The Rattlers (12-1), who are coming off their first Celebration Bowl championship and accompanying HBCU national championship, have offered four former Seminoles over the last few days.
Three have announced on social media they have committed to FAMU, headlined by tailback Rodney Hill.
To help explain the recent history between the programs, Simmons also highlighted on X, formerly known as Twitter, three former FSU players who earned accolades at FAMU over the past three seasons - offensive lineman Jay Jackson (second-team All-SWAC), defensive lineman Deonte Williams (second-team All-SWAC) and offensive lineman Jalen Goss (first-team All-SWAC and Boxtorow All-American).
Norvell, whose ACC Champion fifth-ranked Seminoles (13-0) play No. 6 Georgia (12-1) in the the Orange Bowl next weekend, responded Saturday on X, saying, "Great young men who found right opportunity with tremendous staff. So proud of these guys for their accomplishments. #KeepCLIMBing and @HCWillieSimmons let's bringing championships to Tallahassee.
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Simmons quickly replied, "Thank you for your leadership and development of men @Coach_Norvell! Tallahassee is the city of Champions! Good luck in the bowl game! #FAMULY #OurTime #Climb.
Former FSU running back Rodney Hill commits to FAMU
Hill is a former four-star prospect from Statesboro, Georgia, who was rated the 26th athlete prospect in the Class of 2022 in the state by 247Sports.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder appeared in 11 games this season, rushing for 190 yards on 50 carries with one touchdown.
The redshirt freshman finished third on the team in rushing behind Trey Benson (156-905) and Lawrance Toafili (69-463). Hill was expected to play a larger role in FSU's offense next season with Benson declaring for the NFL Draft and CJ Campbell entering the transfer portal.
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Simmons posted a video on X of Hill rushing for a first down in the Seminoles' season-opening win over LSU , saying, "I just need the Swac to understand what's about to happen to them."
Last Thursday, FSU NIL Collective, The Battle's End, announced Toafili, a redshirt junior, would return to FSU in 2024.
Former FSU offensive lineman Qae'Shon Sapp and cornerback Demorie Tate have also committed publicly to FAMU.
Sapp, a 6-foot-4, 325-pound redshirt freshman from Leesburg, Georgia, is also a former four-star prospect. He played primarily on the scout team this season.
Tate, from Orlando, last played at FSU in 2022. He was a five-star prospect and ranked fifth nationally at his position from Freedom High, according to 247Sports Composite.
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Saturday, former FSU defensive lineman Ayombi Tifase announced on X he had received a scholarship offer from the Rattlers.
The 6-foot-4, 299-pound redshirt freshman was rated as No. 9 overall prospect in Maryland and 74th nationally at his position by 247Sports.
FAMU has welcomed additional transfers from Power 5 Conferences during this signing cycle, including former Clemson tight end Sage Ennis of Lincoln High and receiver Davedn Walker of Vanderbilt.
Dec. 16, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Florida A&M athletes celebrate after the Cricket Celebration Bowl game between Florida A&M University and Howard University at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. FAMU defeated Howard 30-26. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football offers four former FSU players from the transfer portal
