Party like its 2017: Mike Norvell keeps stacking 5-star recruits in 2024 class | Kassim

Since the calendar flipped to July, coach Mike Norvell and Florida State football have turned up the heat in the 2024 recruitment process.

The Seminoles have 12 commits since July 1, including two 5-star defensive backs in Charles Lester and KJ Bolden.

Lester and Bolden join a class that already featured 5-star tight end Landen Thomas.

Bolden announced his commitment to FSU on Saturday evening. The 5-star from Buford, Georgia is the top-ranked player in the class, coming in at No. 7 according to 247Sports Composite Rankings and the top-ranked safety. Lester is 19th overall and Thomas is 29th.

The three 5-star recruits are the most for the Seminoles since Jimbo Fisher landed running back Cam Akers, edge Joshua Kaindoh and defensive tackle Marvin Wilson in 2017.

Equally as impressive as the players Norvell and his staff have added are the competition they have beaten out for the recruits.

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Thomas, who originally committed to FSU, flipped from Georgia to the Seminoles back in April. Lester announced his commitment last Friday, choosing FSU over Deion Sanders and Colorado football. (It's getting easier to forget the Travis Hunter fiasco.)

The most impressive recruitment might have been of Bolden. While the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder grew up an FSU fan and gave him his first offer in 2020, he was seen as a strong Georgia lean for a long time.

The Seminoles jumped into the fray and hosted Bolden on an unofficial visit in April. A multi-day unofficial visit to Tallahassee in June also helped the cause.

FSU remained persistent and overcame an official visit to Auburn for Bolden late in the process.

New Tigers' coach Hugh Freeze and two-time defending champion Georgia kept it competitive, but it was FSU who won out in the end. Ohio State and Alabama factored into the recruitment as well.

Defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr., who took the position in early January, played a large role in the recruitment of Bolden.

With Bolden's commitment, FSU jumped from sixth to fourth in 247Sports Composite Team Rankings. The Seminoles projected team score of 272.17 trails only rival Florida (No. 3, 277.98), Ohio State (No. 2, 289.35) and two-time defending champion Georgia (No. 1, 311.66).

That's a far cry from the 16th (2023), 19th (2022) and 21st (2021) rankings in the first three full recruiting cycles under Norvell.

If the Seminoles hold their ranking, it would be the highest since the 2016 class, which finished third behind Alabama and LSU. That class featured 5-star defensive back Levonta Taylor and 4-star offensive lineman Landon Dickerson.

For FSU, the class is not done yet. The Seminoles have hosted 5-star wide receiver and Ohio State commit Jeremiah Smith on campus half a dozen times and still have an official visit for him to use during the season.

The star from Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Opa Locka is the No. 2 overall player in the class and the top at his position.

If the Seminoles have the College Football Playoff run they are anticipated to have, they could give Smith a lot to think about, especially if receivers Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman can turn in strong seasons and become legitimate draft prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Florida State 2024 recruiting class

Below are the 22 recruits currently committed to Florida State's 2024 class, along with their ranking on 247Sports Composite.

Quarterback

4-star Luke Kromenhoek - Benedictine Military School - Savannah, Ga. - No. 8 quarterback, No. 99 overall

Running back

4-star Kameron Davis - Dougherty High - Albany, Ga. - No. 3 running back, No. 50 overall

Wide receiver

4-star Elijah Moore - Good Counsel High - Olney, Md. - No. 35 wide receiver, No. 240 overall

4-star Camdon Frier - Suwannee High - Live Oak - No. 62 wide receiver, No. 416 overall

Tight end

5-star Landen Thomas Colquitt County - Moultrie, Ga. - No. 1 tight end, No. 29 overall prospect

Athlete

4-star Micahi Danzy - Florida High - Tallahassee, Fla. - No. 13 athlete, No. 191 overall

4-star Lawayne McCoy - Miami Central High - Miami - No. 20 athlete, No. 244 overall

4-star BJ Gibson - Wilcox County - Rochelle, Ga. - No. 27 athlete, No. 376 overall

3-star Ricky Knight III - Cardinal Newman - West Palm Beach, Fla. - No. 30 athlete, No. 401 overall

Offensive line

4-star Jonathan Daniels - Pine Forest High - Pensacola, Fla. - No. 5 inside offensive lineman, No. 104 overall

4-star Manasse Itete - Central Catholic - Modesto, CA - No. 26 offensive tackle, No. 331 overall

3-star Tye Hylton - Oviedo High - Oviedo, Fla. - No. 72 offensive tackle, No. 954 overall

Unranked Jayden Todd - West Laurens High - Dublin, Ga. - Unranked

Linebacker

3-star Jayden Parrish - Atlantic High, Fla. - Delray Beach - No. 62 linebacker, No. 672 overall

Unranked Timir Hickman-Collins - Fort Mill, S.C. - Indian Land High - Unranked

Defensive Line

4-star DD Holmes - Gonzaga High - Washington, D.C. - No. 30 defensive lineman, No. 273 overall

3-star Jamorie Flagg - Booker T. Washington - Miami - No. 86 defensive lineman, No. 835 overall

Defensive back

5-star Charles Lester - Venice High - Venice, Fla. - No. 2 cornerback, No. 19 overall

Safety

5-star KJ Bolden - Buford High - Buford, Ga. - No. 1 safety, No. 7 overall

3-star CJ Heard - Woodruff Academy - Atlanta, Ga. - No. 44 safety, No. 449 overall

3-star Rydarrius Morgan - Central High - Phenix City, Al. - No. 54 safety, No. 559 overall

Kicker

3-star Jake Weinberg - American Heritage Delray Beach - No. 5 kicker, No. 1,664 overall

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: How Mike Norvell has turned back the clock with 5-stars