One of the nation’s top high school football recruits, Travis Hunter, will no longer be a Seminole in the Fall. Hunter announced his commitment to Jackson State University Wednesday afternoon, where he will play for head coach Deion Sanders.
Sanders was a two-time consensus All-American cornerback when he played for Florida State University from 1985-1988.
Hunter made the announcement alongside his teammates at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia. Since March 2020, Hunter had been committed to FSU and remained in Florida State’s recruiting class despite interest from the University of Georgia, located in his home state. He immediately becomes the most highly touted recruit in Jackson State’s 2022 class and will be considered one of the most talented recruits to ever commit to a historically black college or university.
In an announcement on his Twitter account, Hunter acknowledged that Florida State has “always been a beacon” for him, but said his future is at Jackson State. He also referenced football stars that played their college football at HBCU’s, including Jerry Rice, Doug Williams, and Walter Payton (who played at Jackson State from 1971 to 1974).
Weeks before today's announcement in an interview with Georgia Public Broadcasting, Hunter was asked why he committed to Florida State.
“I’m going to go ahead and rebuild the program like Deion Sanders did when he was there," Hunter said of his then-decision. "I’m going to go make a statement and show everybody that I can go anywhere and play any football which is something that I’ve always want[ed] to do – is play for Florida State.”
Hunter is the first five-star recruit to attend a Division I FCS school and will be one of the most talented players to ever commit to a historically black college or university.
Speaking during a press conference later in the day, FSU head football coach Mike Norvell touted the team's new signees.
"This is a class that addressed a lot of the needs we had," he said. "I really like where we started and am excited about what we've seen today."
This is the first National Signing Day to take place in the Name, Image, and Likeness era and comes after the NCAA allowed student-athletes to profit from their talents without hurting their eligibility to play. When asked how the program addresses players who've been committed for a long time but don't sign, and the impact it has on other signees, Norvell talked around the issue.
"I'm just grateful for every young man that I've gotten to sit in their homes and got a chance share the opportunity of what Florida State has to offer. We've had 14 great young men who've joined our program today, and that's going to be our focus and what we're going to continue to push forward with and make sure that each young man who comes into our program is the right fit and is helping continue to build our program to where it needs to go, and I am excited about that group, today."
