Score one victory for Florida State in the Palmetto State this week. The Seminoles, who play at Clemson Saturday night, landed a commitment from Greenville High DE Franklin Whitley (6-7 270) on Tuesday morning.
That decision had to come as a shock to both Clemson and USC coaches, who had been recruiting Whitley with a lot of effort.
“I took an official visit up there, and it really felt like home,” Whitley said. “From me landing at the airport in Tallahassee and some of the coaches waiting for me, to me leaving, they treated me well the whole time. I really felt a connection with the players. Coach (Terrance) Knighton, coming all the way from Tallahassee to Greenville to visit me at my school on a random Thursday, that spoke volumes to me. Just stuff like that, I felt like it was the right decision.”
Whitley was a full-time basketball player until this school year when he decided to give football a chance. Smart move. He’s developed into one of the top players in the state, and the offers from major programs began to roll in. And while looking over his options, he found the Florida State defensive alignment very appealing.
“They rotate D-linemen throughout the game to keep the D-linemen fresh,” Whitley said. “We kind of do the same thing at Greenville. I feel like it will be almost natural to me in terms of how they play. They run four men down, three men down. We do that at Greenville as well. I feel like I’ll be most comfortable at Florida State.”
Whitley made official visits to Florida State and USC in October. He has two others on the books, including one to Clemson. However, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney normally does allow an official visit with a player committed to another program.
“I still have an official visit to Clemson, or I should have one, and I still have one to Tennessee on the 29th,” Whitley said. “I talked to a couple of the (Clemson) coaches and my dad. They said they might be able to work something out. They just have to discuss it. That’s fair, to be honest. I’m just waiting to hear back from them right now. I would love to (take the visit), but if I can’t, I guess that’s how it has to work out.”
Whitley also had offers from Georgia, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, West Virginia and Tennessee.
Heading into the postseason, Whitley has 31 tackles with 10 tackles for loss and three sacks.