Florida State Football: Seminoles Impress 5-Star Recruit Tracy Howard

Miramar High (FL) standout Tracy Howard was in Tallahassee last weekend for the game between Florida State and Miami. He didn't get to see the prettiest of games as he watched the 'Noles top their rival. However, according to WarChant.com, he left with the feeling that they would be a good fit for him.

His official visit gave him an opportunity to reconnect with former high school teammate and host Rashard Gholston. Gholston apparently did a pretty good job at selling Florida State, because all Howard had were high remarks after his visit.

He was able to watch first-hand how the defensive backs played and what type of coverages they used. Though Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes are both talented, they play a different style than what Howard likes to play.

"I like to play press coverage, so I would have done more with the press coverage if that was me because of how much I like to be aggressive and force the issue," he said in the WarChant article.

Mike Harris stood out to him the most because he plays the exact same way he does. That hard-nosed, bump-and-run, aggressive defense no matter the size of the receiver. 

Visiting with defensive coordinator Mark Stoops was also something that intrigued him because he loves his style of defense. Stoops gives his defensive backs the option to press or play off coverage a lot of the time. It just depends on what the players are more comfortable doing. 

Overall the trip was a huge success for Florida State in the recruiting of Howard. Picking this rival game to attend allowed him to witness the atmosphere and what Doak Campbell Stadium is like at its best.

"The crowd was very intense—that's for sure," he told WarChant. "I liked how the coaches are energetic about their coaching and the players respond to that."

Currently he is ranked the No.1 cornerback in the 2012 rankings on Rivals.com. Also, Rivals just named him the recruit of the week.

Right now it's anyone's guess on where he will end up, but this visit didn't hurt the 'Noles at all.

It will probably come down to Florida State and Florida when he plans on making his commitment announcement during the U.S. Army All-American game on Jan. 7.