Florida State Football Recruiting 2012: The Good and Bad of National Signing Day

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher had a lot to celebrate on National Signing Day
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Florida State was one of the biggest winners of national signing day, as Jimbo Fisher and his staff once again proved their worth on the recruiting trail by pulling in some of the top prospects of the 2012 class.

Seminoles fans had plenty to celebrate yesterday; however, that doesn't mean it was a perfect day in Tallahassee.

Here's a look at the good and the bad for Florida State from national signing day.

The Good: Starting off the Day with Mario Edwards’ Letter of the Intent

Mario Edwards

Florida State started off national signing day with a bang when No. 1 DE Mario Edwards, who had been committed to the Seminoles since early January, made good on his word and signed with the school.

Although it was expected, landing Edwards early on in the day helped alleviate any anxiety the coaching staff might have had about another school like LSU possibly stealing him away.

Edwards is rated as one of the top overall recruits of the 2012 class, and he's got the chance to become an instant impact player for a defensive line that's already one of the deepest and most talented in the country.

The Bad: Losing Dante Fowler Jr. to Florida

Dante Fowler

Dante Fowler Jr. may not have had the same type of national hype as Mario Edwards, but he was still considered to be one of the best defensive end prospects in the 2012 class. That's what made it tough to see him make a surprising last-minute switch to Florida.

From a scheme perspective, it makes sense for Fowler, considering he would be a terrific fit in the "Buck" position for Florida.

Even though the Seminoles lost out on the highly touted pass-rusher, the fact that they still landed Mario Edwards and Chris Casher, two of the top defensive end prospects in the country, helped to ease the blow.

The Good: Eddie Goldman Picking the Seminoles over Alabama

Eddie Goldman

Many consider Eddie Goldman to be the top defensive tackle recruit in 2012 class, which is why it was so important for Florida State to land him.

The battle for the big, powerful 5-star recruit ultimately came down to Alabama and Florida State, and when it was all said and done, Goldman was doing the Tomahawk Chop.

Goldman has the chance to make an early impact for Florida State's deep defensive line, similar to what we saw out of Tim Jernigan in 2011.

The Bad: Tracy Howard Putting Up the U

Tracy Howard

Landing the No. 1 defensive end prospect, the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect and the No. 1 cornerback prospect in the country would have been a remarkable achievement for Florida State; however, it was simply not to be, as the nation's top cornerback, Tracy Howard, ended up choosing Miami over Florida and Florida State.

Considering the Seminoles have one of the top cornerback combos in the country, Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes, returning, Howard decided to pick the Hurricanes because it gave him the best chance to see significant playing time early in his career.

The Good: Landing Ronald Darby

Ronald Darby

Florida State may not have been able to land the best cornerback prospect in the country, but the Seminoles got a pretty darn good one in Ronald Darby instead.

The highly touted Maryland product originally committed to Notre Dame, but he decommitted from the Irish back in early January.

Darby has the type of speed and playmakng ability to be the next star Seminole corner, and he was a major catch for Florida State.

The Bad: Losing out on Josh Harvey-Clemons

Josh Harvey-Clemons

The Josh Harvey-Clemons' saga was one of the biggest storylines of national signing day, but a day after announcing that he was picking Georgia, the talented 4-star linebacker finally sent in his letter of intent.

Coach Jimbo Fisher told ESPN's Jeannine Edwards that it was going to be a war to land Harvey-Clemons.

It turned out to be a war that the Seminoles lost.

The Good: Jameis Winston Saying He’s Going to Sign with the Noles

Jameis Winston

In an interview with ESPN yesterday, Jameis Winston, one of the blue-chip quarterback prospects of the 2012 class, says he is fully committed to Florida State and plans on signing with the school after he gets back home and talks things over with his family.

In recent weeks, Winston had been rumored to be showing some interest in both Alabama and Stanford, but from the way he sounded yesterday, it sounds like Florida State fans don't have much to worry about.