Billy Napiers' Florida Gators to host five-star FSU IOL commit for the LSU game

By Maliha

Modified Nov 16, 2024 13:24 GMT

Five-star interior offensive lineman Solomon Thomas has been committed to the Florida State Seminoles since last year. However, the Florida Gators are also trying to flip the in-state prospect to their 2025 class.

Thomas is set to visit Billy Napier's program for its game against the No. 21 LSU Tigers on Saturday.

The Seminoles have endured a dismal 1-9 season and will miss the playoffs entirely. To make matters worse, FSU coach Mike Norvell dismissed offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins, who had been a key figure in Thomas’ recruitment. In light of these developments, Thomas shared that he’s taking his recruitment “day to day.”

Meanwhile, the Gators have intensified their pursuit of Thomas besides LSU. Securing a top-rated offensive lineman has been a challenge during the Napier era, and landing Thomas would be a huge breakthrough for the school's recruiting efforts.

On3’s Chad Simmons believes the Seminoles remain in a strong position to retain Thomas.

"There is still a lot that he likes about Florida State too," Simmons said. "Norvell has been involved in this recruitment and the ACC program still looks to be in a good position to keep the in-state talent."

Thomas is the No. 13 overall player in the nation, the No. 3 interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class and the No. 1 recruit in Florida, per ESPN.

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More five-star prospects to attend the Florida Gators game this weekend

Solomon Thomas' visit to Florida makes five five-star prospects in the 2025 class who are set to attend the Gators vs. LSU game on Saturday, and Tramell Jones is one of them. He backed off his commitment to FSU, and all indications are that he will flip to Florida, as the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Gators an 85.1% chance of securing his commitment.

Five-star LSU cornerback commit DJ Pickett will be in Gainesville as well. However, Pickett doesn’t seem to be a flip target, as his father Damien shared with On3 that they think the perfect spot for Pickett is at LSU.

Five-star wide receiver Dallas Wilson, currently committed to Oregon, is another name to watch. He also admitted to On3's Chad Simmons that he talks to the Gators coaching staff almost every day.

Ohio State cornerback commit Na’eem Offord is another top-tier talent making the trip. He has been pursued by Florida a lot, but like others on this list, there has been next-to-traction to get him to flip. Meanwhile, Oregon is "heavy-handed" to flip him from Ohio State, per On3.