Da'Vante Phillips to FSU: Seminoles Land 4-Star WR Prospect

Da'Vante Phillips originally committed to Florida in July of 2013 but decided to decommit in December of the same year, opening up the recruiting process. And boy, Florida State has to be glad he did after landing the star wide receiver.

Josh Newberg of 247Sports has the report:

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Da'Vante Phillips has Florida State celebrating early. The four-star wide receiver out of Miami Central high school committed to play his college career at Florida State. The announcement was aired on ESPNU’s coverage of Under Armour practice.

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Newberg also had Phillips' thoughts on playing for the 'Noles:

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'305 to the 850, I’m home. I’m going to Florida State,' Phillips told Noles247.com

Phillips, a one time Florida commitment, has been long considered a Florida State lean. Tonight he made it official.

'I like the fact that it’s not home, but it feels like home. I really like Lawrence Dawsey and coach (Tim) Brewster. I have a good relationship with them,' Phillips said.

Phillips also has a brotherly bond with FSU running back Dalvin Cook, the duo won a pair of State Championships together at Miami Central.



'It’s going to be good to reunite with Dalvin (Cook) and do what we did in high school,' Phillips said.

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According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Phillips is a 4-star recruit who is rated as the No. 9 wideout and the No. 91 player overall in the 2015 class. At 6'1.5", 197 pounds, the Miami Central High School product also comes in as the 18th-best player out of Florida.

Phillips really blew up in his junior year. After combining to produce 53 receptions for 786 yards and 12 touchdowns in his freshman and sophomore campaigns, he tallied 47 catches for 872 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He also helped lead Miami Central to its third state title in four years, notching four catches for 92 receiving yards and a score in the championship game.

It should have come as no surprise, considering he had a reduced role as a receiver in Miami Central's offense during his sophomore year, as the team had great success running the ball.

ESPN Insider (subscription required) offered the following scouting report on Phillips:

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A strong, physical player—a Dez Bryant type. A versatile, big-play receiver with good size, competitiveness and athleticism. Possesses a good frame and playing strength for the wide receiver position and should continue to fill out and develop functional strength. Flashes good playing speed and foot quickness needed to separate as a route runner. Catches the ball extremely well and does a good job of turning upfield after the catch.

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A comparison to Bryant is no small matter and a true testament to Phillips' upside. And he certainly knows how his bread is buttered, telling Chris Hays of the Orlando Sentinel (subscription required) when it appeared he was committing to Florida, "I'm a physical wide receiver. They like my physicalness."

Most programs in America like his physicalness, to be fair.

But it's a good sign for his future at Florida State that he knows what his game is and can go about polishing his overall skill set. It's clear he still has a long way to go toward establishing a well-rounded route tree, and as is the case for most high school stars, he'll need to rely more on technique at the next level than simply his athletic ability.

He has the ability to be really special. The Seminoles will be glad he decided against being a Gator.