Georgia Tech Football holds commitment after FSU push

Florida State football looked like it was going to flip Jaron Willis but despite a run of FSU crystal balls, he recommitted to Georgia Tech football instead.

The Florida State football program is no stranger to success on the recruiting trail and so far in the 2022 class, the Seminoles have the ninth-ranked class in the nation according to 247 sports.

Florida State’s class features 18 commitments, with eight of them ranked as four-star prospects, highlighted by No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter.

Hunter is a 6-foot-1, 165-pound corner out of Georgia and if some recruiting experts for 247 sports are correct in their predictions, another top-ranked defender from Georgia will be joining the Seminoles’ class soon and what would make it even better, is that he’s currently committed to Georgia Tech.

The recruit is Jaron Willis, who ranks 159th overall in the 2022 class, as well as the 19th-ranked linebacker and 16th-best player in the state of Georgia.

So far, the Seminoles have just one linebacker committed in the 2022 class and that’s three-star prospect Omar Graham Jr. Willis is 6-foot-2, 225 pounds and Andrew Ivins of 247 sports projects him as a future NFL draft pick.

For Georgia Tech football, Willis is the top-ranked recruit in a class that ranks outside the top 30 right now and Willis is one of just five four-star pledges, so it would sting if the Yellow Jackets ended up losing his commitment, especially to Florida State.

While Willis committed to Georgia Tech football back in May, he recently started trending with crystal ball projections to Florida State in the past two weeks. Five recruiting experts from 247 sports have flipped their picks from Georgia Tech to FSU including one on Friday.

Georgia Tech football holds commitment — for now

Fortunately for Georgia Tech fans, there is a silver lining here. According to what Willis told Steve Wiltfong of 247 sports, he’s still solid with the Yellow Jackets.

"“They stayed consistent with me throughout everything going on and they’ve been real with me and been the same people and didn’t change on me and they’ve been real with me from the start. To play for those coaches and having the opportunity to pick the brain of Coach (Nathan) Burton and the whole defensive staff, and Coach Collins and seeing what they see in me and believing in me. I believe Georgia Tech is going to do something special.”"

Willis said that on Friday, just as some of the last crystal ball projections were coming in for Florida State football.

So that’s good news. But does it mean this recruitment is over? I highly doubt it.

Both Florida State and Georgia Tech are in a position where they need to prove something to recruits in terms of on-field success as both are in the midst of rebuilds.

Say the Noles start off strong and the Yellow Jackets struggle. That could be a reason for Willis to end up flipping his commitment. He could also stay solid with in-state Georgia Tech and it’s possible he enjoys being the centerpiece of the Yellow Jackets’ 2022 class.

But as with many recruitments, both sides have reason to feel optimistic and the final decision may not be finalized until early signing day.