Nick O'Leary and Jacoby Brissett: Will Both Recruits Sign with Florida State?
Florida State is on it's way back to national prominence. Jimbo Fisher is making sure of that and the folks in Tallahassee are beaming with confidence. In Fisher's first full year at the helm, the 'Noles have scored some top notch prospects and are in the running for many other talented and uncommitted recruits.
Tight end Nick O'Leary and quarterback Jacoby Brissett are just two of the talented targets FSU is recruiting, but boy are they talented.
Will they end up being Seminoles? Let's take a look.
Nick O'Leary's Strengths
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O'Leary is a tight end from Dwyer high school in Florida and can factor in the passing game and running game. He has the frame and athleticism to project as a tight end and even an all-around H-Back in college.
He's a fierce competitor who has a noted mean streak during games. O'leary was even ejected out of a game for being "too intense" according to observers. He has the strength and tenacity to get after it as a blocker in the run game.
At 6'4", 230 pounds, he runs great routes and is very athletic in his breaks. He can get up the seams and also work voids underneath, yet O'Leary is dangerous after the catch, which is rare for tight end position. He becomes a battering ram with ball as he runs with great power.
O'Leary's Weaknesses
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Sometimes there are times in football when a player can be too fired up and that becomes a detriment to his team. O'Leary can fall into that category. At times, he let's his intensity get the best of him every so often.
He also will have a concentration lapse at times, thus leading to a drop or two.
#1 Top Target School for O'Leary: Alabama
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O'Leary has been a keen observer of Alabama and took an official visit to Tuscaloosa in October.
He has said that Nick Saban plans to use him as a move tight end in formations and alignments with also taking advantage of his strength in the run game.
He also stated the he had a great time on his visit.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
#2 Top Target School for O'Leary: Miami
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New 'Canes coach Al Golden has hit the trail hard in recruiting, and one of his top targets is O'Leary. Golden likely envisions Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winlsow II, and Bubba Franks when he sees O'Leary.
O'Leary hasn't mentioned Miami much recently, but the U remains a viable option to win his services as he has stated Miami is close to home and he likes how they have traditionally used the tight end position within their offense over the years.
#3 Top Target School for O'Leary: LSU
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O'Leary took a visit to LSU in November and we all know how special Saturday night games in the Bayou are. It is an electric atmosphere and they even bring out a real live Tiger to fire up the crowd.
Could the Tiger scare away O'Leary or will he see how passionate the LSU fans are about their squad and decide he wants to join them?
Jacoby Brissett's Strengths
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Brisset, O'leary's teammate and high school quarterback, is a dual threat style signal caller with great size at 6'5", 225 pounds.
He has the keen ability to know when to change his pitches, as in he knows when a fastball is needed on throws but also when touch and air is needed. He stands tall in the pocket and has solid accuracy.
Brissett also possess 4.5 speed and can gain yards with his legs when things break down inside the pocket. He can escape and get out on the edge to either make a throw on the run or get upfield as a runner.
Brissett's Weaknesses
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Brissett may need to get coached up a bit more on being consistent with his mechanics and footwork.
He alters his throwing motion a bit too much and may need to smooth it out to be successful in college.
His vision and decision making also may need tuning, since he has played with such a dominant receiving threat in O'Leary in that he may have developed locking onto his targets.
#1 Top Target School for Brissett: Wisconsin
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Wisconsin hasn't been known as a big draw for Florida recruits over the years, but their success on the field speaks for itself.
Brissett took a visit to Wisconsin in October and the Badger coaches are very high on him and even told Illinois quarterback prospect Adam Pittser that Brissett is their main quarterback target.
Everyone likes to go where they are wanted and Brissett is more than wanted by Wisconsin.
#2 Top Target School for Brissett: Notre Dame
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The Irish secured a visit from Brissett in November and offered him in June during the early summer period. Notre Dame came into this recruiting cycle with aspirations to sing two QB's in this class in they would Brissett to be one of them.
Initially, Brissett did not all too much about the Notre Dame allure, but we're very sure Brian Kelly took the liberty on fully educating him to Irish football history during his visit to South Bend.
Which is why Notre Dame is a major player to sign him.
#3 Top Target School for Brisset: LSU
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Brissett's talents are very comparable to one-time LSU quarterback Ryan Periloux (can we even mention that name Tiger fans?) and Les Miles and Co. have been heavy in their pursuit of Brissett.
Jordan Jefferson didn't exactly set the world on fire with his play this year, which could put Brissett in position to get some early snaps for the Tigers should he sign with them.
Starting to notice a pattern here? Many schools Brissett lists are schools that O'leary lists as well, which leads us to...
Other Schools Who Are In the Mix
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Brissett will visit South Carolina this month and also really likes Alabama, North Carolina, and South Florida.
O'Leary additionally lists Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia as schools he's considering.
But there is a clear cut favorite to land the pair of teammates, which leads us to...
Will They Sign with Florida State?
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O'Leary and Brissett have repeatedly stated they would like to play together in college. O'Leary recently claimed, "Honestly, we both want to see that happen."
Both players have been linked to Florida State for most of the process and the Seminoles are extremely high on both of them.
Our prediction is a strong yes, in that both Nick O'Leary and Jacoby Brissett will wind hootin' the Seminole chant and sign with Florida State.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
