Noles Trying To Snare Gator Commitment

Panama City athlete Bert Reed will be visiting FSU this weekend although he has committed to Florida.

Reed has said that he is visiting the Noles after FSU coaches told him he could be used in the manner that Percy Harvin was by Florida this past season.

“He’s talking about putting me out wide, putting me in the slot, and putting me in the backfield,” Reed said of coach Bobby Bowden. “ Just utilizing me, which is something that I would love to do. And then playing kick returner and punt returner. Having a chance to do all of that stuff.”

Noles Spear Terrapins While Thornton Gets Wooden

The Seminoles shot a season-high 61.7 percent from the floor to win their fourth ACC game in their last five and giving them a shot of momentum going into Sunday's showdown at Duke.

A 96-79 victory over Maryland on Tuesday improved FSU to 16-6 overall and 4-4 in the conference with eight games remaining. Al Thornton was unstoppable yet again with 27 points and eight rebounds for the Seminoles, who shot 61.7 percent from the field and received a career-best 24 points from Rich on 10-of-12 shooting. Toney Douglas (16) and Swann (15) also scored in double figures in the run-and-gun show.

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Florida State senior forward Al Thornton, who has helped the Seminoles to a 16-6 record heading into Sunday's nationally televised game against Duke, has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top-30 list as announced by the Wooden Award Committee. Thornton is now one of the 30 finalists across the nation in college basketball who will compete for one of 10 spots on the 10-member Wooden All-American team and Wooden Award Player of the Year honors.

Miami Nice

So far this year, FSU has not gotten any commitments out of the Miami area. Yet there is a wealth of high school football talent in the Miami area. Chuck Amato was very successful recruiting the Miami area before he left for NC State. Now that he is back with the Noles, it will be interesting to see if FSU will again be successsful there.

Sweet Home Alabama

FSU after losing out on a big Alabama recruit yesterday received some good days today. Former West Virginia recruit Rodney Hudson announced today that he will be going to FSU. Hudson (6-3, 295), a first-team all-state and Press-Register(Mobile) all-region selection, graded 95 percent on his blocking with 47 pancakes and also played defense, recording 55 tackles as an interior lineman.

Hudson said West Virginia coaches are still trying to convince him to visit Morgantown this weekend, but he's solid in his commitment to Florida State. "It was really nice," he said of his visit to Tallahassee. "The coaches are real nice and the players are pretty good, too. It was closer, too."

This is the result of new coach Rick Trickett who had recruited Hudson at West Virginia before taking the job with the Noles.

Caz Tackles New Position In 2007

In 2006, Caz Piurowski was second on the team in catches by a freshman but as the Seminoles prepare to open their off-season conditioning program the Land O' Lakes, FL native will have a new position. Caz has asked to be moved to the offensive line. The 6'7", 285 pound freshman will enter the spring as FSU's newest left tackle.

According to Piurowski, he started "thinking about it towards the end of the season, right before the bowl game. After the season is when I really started to think about it. I talked to people about it. I came to the conclusion after talking to lots of people and thinking about it that it would be the best move. I went and talked to Coach Lilly and then I went and talked to Coach Bowden. Coach Bowden loved the idea. He thought it was a great move for me. We kind of finalized it that day during our meeting."

View of Publius:Recruiting Too Ugly To Watch

It has been said that politics and making sausage are a lot alike. You don't want to watch them being made. The same applies to college football recruiting.

This year's recruiting by FSU is leaving FSU fans exhausted as recruits say they are going to take a visit to FSU and then are no shows.

Or they say that they are committed to FSU and then change their minds.Is it a change of mind or lying? Yes, I know. These are seventeen and eighteen year olds.

College football recruiting is becoming the theatre of the absurd. We put these athletes on a pedestal. They are treated as royalty by the media and announce their commitments on national sports networks.

I am waiting for the announcement in the near future by some university that a new position has been added to their football team, resident mental health counselor. After all, these athletes have a false sense of their importance and worth as they enter college. However, none of us should be surprised.

Turtle Bait

Al Thornton scored 27 points and Jason Rich added a career-high 24 points as Florida State defeated Maryland 96-79 Tuesday.

Florida State (16-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) made 30 of its first 43 shots to maintain a double-digit lead for most of the second half as it evened its ACC record halfway through the conference schedule after an 0-3 start.

Thornton, the ACC's top scorer in league games, made 12 of 17 shots and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds while Rich was 10 of 12 from the field for Florida State, which shot 61.7 percent for the game and enjoyed a 33-19 rebound advantage.

The Sentiments of Many Nole Fans

FSU Loses Another Recruit Prospect

Scratch another name from the dwindling list of FSU recruit prospects. 6-foot-2, 200-pounder Mobile (Ala.) Davidson four-star DB Michael McNeil announced on Tuesday that he will be an Auburn Tiger.FSU had been aggressively pursuing McNeil.

"I love Auburn," said McNeil. "I love the atmosphere and they have one of the best programs in the nation."

McNeil chose Auburn after narrowing down his list to the Tigers, Florida State, Tennessee and Alabama.

"Auburn puts a lot of people in the NFL every year plus it's close to home. At Auburn I just feel at home with the players and coaches."

McNeil is rated the No. 8 safety in the country and No. 86 overall prospect.

Noles In Rearview Mirror In Recruiting Rankings

It is looking more likely that FSU will have one of its worst recruiting years. In the Sunshine state, the Noles are far behind Florida and Miami in the recruiting rankings.

Florida State #43

Miami #26

Florida #1

Noles Hope To Make Turtle Soup Tonight

Florida State, which has won three consecutive ACC games at home and three of their last four games overall, plays host to Maryland on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. The Seminoles have won three consecutive conference games at home in the Donald L. Tucker Center with victories over No. 23 Virginia Tech (Jan. 17, 82-73), Miami (Jan. 20, 86-67) and Wake Forest (Jan. 27, 74-66).
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If the Noles defeat the Terrapins, it would mark the second consecutive season the Seminoles under fifth-year Head Coach Leonard Hamilton were at the .500 mark after eight games in conference play;
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Florida State enters Tuesday's game against Maryland with 75 blocked shots as a team (3.6 bpg). The Seminoles already have more blocked shots in 21 games this season (75) than they did in 30 games during the 2005-06 season (72). Florida State is ranked eight in the ACC this season after ranking 12th in the ACC last season.
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Probable Starters for FSU:

F #12 Al Thornton (18.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg; 27 pts and 12 rebs vs. Maryland, Feb. 22, 2006)
F #41 Uche Echefu (7.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg; 3 pts and 2 rebs vs. Maryland, Feb. 22, 2006)
G #3 Isaiah Swann (8.7 ppg, 3.3 apg; 12 pts and 4 asts vs. Maryland, Feb. 22, 2006)
G #23 Toney Douglas (13.4 ppg, 2.7 apg; First career game vs. Maryland)
G #25 Jason Rich (10.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg; 9 pts and 4 rebs vs. Maryland, Dec. 19, 2004)

Bobby Bowden Visits SC Recruit Prospect

Bobby Bowden must have a ton of frequent flier miles. It seems this year he is traveling a lot to try and secure commitments from some top recruits. So far, the effort has not paid off.

The Spartanburg, South Carolina newspaper is reporting that "Daddy Bowden" along with two of his assistants paid a home visit Monday night with Broome(SC) WR Markish Jones (6-1 202) Monday night. "It went pretty good," Jones said. "It was good he remembered me. Some of the other coaches were saying he wouldn't remember who I was. We had a real good time." Jones is currently a commitment to Clemson.

Jones said the meeting lasted about two and a half hours and included his family. "They loved coach Bowden," Jones said. "My stepdad has been a Florida State fan since day one." Over the weekend Jones made an official visit to Tennessee. "I had a great time at Tennessee," he said. "It's going to make my decision hard.

If I weren't committed to Clemson, it would be Florida State or Tennessee, but right now Clemson is still in the lead." Jones said his recruiters from Tennessee and Alabama also will be in this week. He will make an official visit to Alabama this weekend.

FSU Player Profile: Al Thornton

It would take a couple pages to tell all about FSU senior Al Thornton. Last year, after Thornton scored 37 points against his Blue Devils in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski said, "There aren't many kids like him (Al Thornton). He's one of the best players in the country." His outstanding junior season made Al Thornton a household name and placed him among the elite players in college basketball. In his senior year, he is a front runner for the ACC Player of the Year honors. If FSU gets to the NCAA tourney, it will be Thornton who will be instrumental in carrying the Noles. For this season, Thornton is averaging 17.9 points a game and averages 6.3 rebounds.

In ACC games only, Thornton is averaging a league-best 22.4 points per game heading into FSU's clash with Maryland on Tuesday at the Civic Center. He's on pace to break Bob Sura's school record. Thornton wants to end his college career where he's never been - the NCAA tournament. "Each and every game is important," Thornton said. "Each game we win just puts us in a better position to reach our dreams and reach our goals."

Noles Wrest Commitment From FIU

6-foot-3, 265-pounder West Boca Raton High School offensive lineman A.J. Ganguzza has accepted an offer from FSU. Ganguzza had previously committed to FIU. This may be the sign of what will be happening in this year's recruiting class.

FIU is hardly a premier school and it looks as if FSU may be having to offer scholarships to second tier recruits because FSU is unable to secure commitments from the top recruits. It may be that FSU's less than stellar performance in recent years is catching up with the Noles.

Ganguzza had originally planned to visit Florida State a couple of weeks ago but changed his mind after a visit by new offensive line coach Rick Trickett failed to produce a scholarship offer.With no offer in hand,Ganguzza decided to cancel his trip to Tallahassee and opted to make a commitment to FIU.

Evaluation:Ganguzza is a two-way player at the high school level but will project best on the offensive side of the ball at the college level as a guard. He displays good toughness in the trenches. He will need to add bulk to his frame to play at the college level along the line. He can deliver a pop as he gets into defenders. He does an adequate job of driving his legs. He does not get great push off the line in the run game. He does a solid job of stepping, getting position, and blocking down. He looks comfortable when asked to pull. Does a good job of getting down the line and making contact with defenders. He shows he can turn upfield and seal. He does a good job of getting up to the second level and making contact with moving targets. He is a solid pass blocker in the short area. He displays the ability to move his feet and mirror rushers. He needs to watch his pad level as he can get tall. He will need the extra bulk to help him hold his ground. Ganguzza comes across as a "fighter" who battle to try and get the job done.

Tucker Out At Least Three Weeks

Florida State lost its closer, Luke Tucker, for at least three weeks to allow the junior to rest and rehabilitate his sore right shoulder.

This will put catcher Buster Posey on the mound as a closer as originally planned, but only for ninth-inning duty.

Newcomer Danny Rosen, still under consideration for the Sunday start against Tennessee, may instead be used out of the bullpen with Tucker unavailable.

According to Mike Martin," Tucker had some soreness and needed some rest,” Martin said. “He had a little twinge when he finished his delivery and hasn't been himself the last two outings (in practice). We decided to shut him down for three weeks and rehab his shoulder through an exercise program."

There's No Place Like Home...There's No Place Like Home...There's No Place Like Home

Like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz", Leonard Hamilton needs to click his heels and say there's no place like home. The Noles need a win on Tuesday against Maryland before going on the road again where the Noles are not that successful in the Hamilton era.

FSU (15-6, 3-4 ACC) reaches the halfway mark in the league schedule against the Terrapins (16-5, 2-4 ACC), who have lost all three of their conference road games. The Seminoles will have only three of their final eight league games at home.

D.J. Strawberry (15.2 ppg.), Mike Jones (13.4 ppg.), James Gist (12.1 ppg.) and Ekene Ibekwe (10.9 ppg.) are each averaging double figures in scoring for the Terrapins, who lead the league in field-goal percentage defense at 37 percent.

Will It Be Three Man Race At QB In 2007? (Second In A Series)

Drew Weatherford will be the number one quarterback going into spring practice in 2007. It is probably safe to say that if Bobby Bowden had his way, Weatherford would be the starting QB for next season. For some inexplicable reason, Bowden has not given Xavier Lee the opportunity that he deserves.

Weatherford does have the playing experience but experience does not mean competence. Weatherford in 2006 did not show marked improvement in his reads and his proclivity for interceptions. In addition, he is not a mobile quarterback as is Lee. In looking at Weatrherford compared to other ACC quarterbacks, he does not fare well. He was near the bottom in the ACC in pass efficiency at number 7.

If you look at his TD to Interception ratio in 2005 and 2006, the ratios are almost the same. He had 18 TDs and 18 interceptions in 2005 and in 2006 he had 11 TDs and 10 interceptions. He was also down in terms of TD productivity in 2006. In the ACC, he ranked near the bottom in TD productivity. His pass completion percentage was 56.7 % for the 2006 season. This pass completion percentage put Weatherford near the bottom at number 7 with the other ACC quarterbacks.Not withstanding the numbers, when you watch Weatherford you see a quarterback that just seems to make the same mistakes over and over again.

So how did Weatherford's less than stellar performance this past season manifest itself in games? Take the second loss of the season when the Noles lost to NC State 24-20. After a NC State TD in the fourth quarter, the Noles took the ball and drove down the field when Weatherford threw an interception at the NC State 19. NC State played out the clock and won for what was a devastating loss. In the Boston College game, the Noles trailing BC 24-17 had a 17 play, 68 yard drive come to an end with a Weatherford incomplete pass to Antone Smith. In the Florida loss, Weatherford threw for three interceptions and was sacked twice.

And what about Xavier Lee? It is unfair to compare his stats with that of Weatherford due to the fact that Lee has not played many games for the Noles. In the games that he did play he had 7 TDs and 5 interceptions. It was clear in the games that he played that he has tremendous potential and is able to scramble unlike Weatherford. Questionable decisions by Bowden to start Weatherford in games has led Lee to make comments that he may be considering his options regarding transferring to another school. If the new offensive coordinator can convince him that he will be given a fair shot, I think Lee will stay at FSU.

So will spring practice be a two man race or will there be a third player competing for the starting job at QB? There is talk that 6'1" freshmen D'Vontrey Richardson will compete for the starting QB job. Richardson is a tremendous athlete and was a four-star prospect according to Rivals.com and was ranked as the No. 1 athlete in the state of Georgia. He had numerous awards coming out of high school in Georgia. I would be shocked if Bobby Bowden would let Fisher even consider starting a freshmen QB given his thoughts on that subject.

Hopefully Jimbo Fisher will evaluate the quarterbacks fairly. One can only hope that occurs. I think Lee and the other quarterbacks that willl be competing in spring practice only want a fair shot. They want to be objectively evaluated instead of being evaluated in some parallel universe by Bobby Bowden.

Will Hudson Become A Nole?

Rodney Hudson, the West Virginia commitment,visited FSU this weekend and rated his vist a "10". Whether that is enough to get him to decommit is still to be determined. The 6-foot-2, 276-pound offensive lineman from Alabama says he is still committed to West Virginia but says that could change as soon as this week.

"If I do change my mind, it'll be this week or something," said Hudson, "It probably will happen, possibly.

"I don't know when, signing day, maybe this week, I haven't decided."

The evaluation of Rodney Hudson is that he is a solid offensive tackle that should translate well to the interior line in college. He moves well laterally and has a great base for creating contact and leverage. He plays to the echo of the whistle and does a good job of getting himself in position to make the right reads on a pull or trap.

The one intangible is that Rick Trickett recruited him at West Virginia and now is doing the recruiting for him with the Noles.

Lorenzo Booker Helps His Stock

According to ESPN analysts, out of all the running backs at the Senior Bowl this week, Lorenzo Booker helped his stock the most by displaying outstanding hands as a receiver, as well as speed and agility as an open-field runner. They are predicting Booker to be drafted late on the first day.
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J.D. Drew's five-year, $70 million contract has finally become official, meaning he'll make on average $3 million per year more than the five-year, $55-million contract he opted out of with the Dodgers after last season.

That is, so long as his right shoulder, now 16 months since surgery to repair a labrum tear, holds up. The Red Sox can void the remainder of the contract in both 2009 and 2010 should Drew spend a "proscribed" length of time on the disabled list for problems with the shoulder.
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The three Noles that played in the Senior Bowl on Saturday had the following stats:
Buster Davis- 5 tackles
Lorenzo Booker- 112 all purpose yards of which 109 were kickoff returns
Chris Davis- 2 catches for 15 yards

Rosen Has Something Special

Danny Rosen's FSU bio is very short. Just a couple of sentences for the FSU pitcher. However, the Noles are looking for big things from this unknown

Rosen has impressed FSU coaches in fall practice after sitting out the past spring at Miami-Dade Community College. He went from unknown walk-on to a pitcher who should factor into the Seminoles' 2007 season.

“He's definitely going to be used, and he's going to be a guy who will be used on big weekends, including this first weekend (against Tennessee),” pitching coach Jamey Shouppe said. “The luxury of Danny Rosen is he can be used in so many areas. He can start, he can throw in the middle and he can even close and he's done all of that in his career.”

“When he came out for the tryouts nobody was really paying attention to him,” said Henry, FSU's ace. “He gets on the hill and by the end of his outing the whole team was out there watching. He had something special from the first day and that's why he is still around.”

Thornton Gets Double Double As Noles Beat Wake

Al Thornton scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Toney Douglas scored 10 straight points late in the second half as Florida State defeated Wake Forest 74-66 Saturday, handing the Demon Deacons their sixth straight loss.

A sophomore transfer from Auburn, Douglas' 3-pointer with 5:18 left gave Florida State a 57-56 lead. He made another for a 64-59 lead with 2:56 left.

The difference was at the free throw line where Florida State made 22 of 30 while Wake Forest was just 6 of 12. Thornton, the ACC's leading scorer in conference play, was 11 of 13.

Florida State (15-5, 3-4) also got 11 points from Isaiah Swann, who came off the bench for the first time this season.

It's All About The Green

With the addition of five new coaches, FSU will spend $209,861 more on its nine-man coaching staff in 2007 than last season. The salaries represent base only and do not include additional or supplemental income.

Five coaches will earn at least $200,000 in base salary, headed by defensive coordinator/associate head coach Mickey Andrews, who receives a raise of more than $7,000 to $215,105 annually. Andrews’ base salary was boosted after Jimbo Fisher was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for $215,000. Fisher’s total package, though, will be the highest among the assistants at about $425,000. Andrews was the only coach to earn a base salary above $200,000 last season.

The biggest raise of the holdover coaches went to defensive line coach Odell Haggins, who was boosted to $200,000 from $154,680. Haggins’ base salary equals that of newcomers Rick Trickett (offensive line/assistant head coach) and Chuck Amato (defensive line/executive associate head coach).

Defensive ends coach Jody Allen and tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator John Lilly each received raises to $140,000. Newcomers Lawrence Dawsey (receivers) and Dexter Carter (running backs) are the lowest paid coaches, both earning $130,000.

It's About Time

The Atlantic Coast Conference admitted Friday that a timing error was made in the closing seconds of No. 10 Duke's 68-66 win over Clemson (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP).

Coordinator of basketball officials John Clougherty said the ACC reviewed the game video and discussed the clock controversy with the officials, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Clemson coach Oliver Purnell.

"The league acknowledges that a timing error was made in not starting the game clock at the correct time," said Clougherty, adding the situation was resolved internally but did not elaborate.

Richardson Doing Double Duty

Freshman D'Vontrey Richardson is a quarterback for the football team who redshirted in the fall, and now he's working as an outfielder for the baseball team. While his game needs polish, it's clear to those who watch him that the talent is there.

"He has great hand-eye coordination, he's strong, he's quick. The ball reacts off his bat a little differently than it does a lot of guys on this team," FSU head coach Mike Martin said. "Devo just needs to play. That's the key for him to improve. I'm hoping that we can get him to a point before the year is out to where he really shows that, 'Hey, I do belong.' "

Noles Need Late Push To Meet Recruiting Needs

FSU will be hosting only six recruits this weekend. If the Noles are looking to move up in the rankings and meet its needs, it is going to need a furious late push until signing day on February 7. The following recruits will be visiting:

Nole Devine of North Fort Myers who is regarded as the top running back in the nation.There are numerous concerns regarding Devine that include grades and some character issues but FSU is still recruiting him hard.
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Demetrius Byrd ,a coveted wide receiver from Miami, who's currently at Pearl River Junior College.
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OL Rodney Hudson who is a West Virginia commitment that was recently offered by FSU. Bobby Bowden visited Thursday night and he could commit this weekend. This may be the Rick Trickett influence working.
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S Stefoin Francois who is a free safety prospect that FSU really needs. LSU is the team to beat. Can Jimbo pull him in?
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DE Rae Sykes who will pick either FSU or Tennessee. Sykes will be hosted by former Alcoa teammate and friend Brandon Warren.
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LB Aaron Gresham who is a tough linebacker that committed to FSU last week.

View of Publius: Giant Sucking Sound At Duke

The Clemson basketball team's 68-66 loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium gives conspiracy theorists ample ammunition. There has been rampant speculation that ACC referees are very lenient of Duke. After all, they are the premier brand of the ACC.

Last night's win by Duke was aided by time being restored to the clock that enabled them to hit a layup at the buzzer. Yes, that giant sucking sound is emanating from Duke.

If you watch the replay, most people will agree that the call sucked. Ask FSU about bad calls at Duke. Remember last year at Duke?

FSU First In ACC In Free Throws

Florida State has blocked as many shots in 20 games this season (72 / 3.6 bpg) as they did in 30 games during the 2005-06 season (72 / 2.4 bpg). The Seminoles are currently ranked eighth in the league in blocked shots as compared to ranked 12th during the 2005-06 season with 72 blocks for the entire season.
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Florida State enters Saturday's game against Wake Forest ranked fifth in the ACC with an average of 6.4 3-point field goals made per game and seventh in the league statistics with a .363 success rate from the bonusphere. The Seminoles made a season-high 13 long range shots in their victory over Miami (13-of-23, .565) and made eight more against Boston College (eight-of-17, .471).
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Florida State, which has shot .873 percent (62-of-71) in its last three games from the free throw line, is ranked first in the ACC and second in the nation in free throw shooting percentage. The Seminoles are nearly five percentage points ahead of their closest competition in the ACC race and are less than one percentage point behind Gonzaga in the race for the national lead. Florida State finished the 2005-06 season ranked sixth in the ACC with a .704 free throw percentage and have increased the success rate by eight percentage points this season as compared to last season.

Three Reasons Why We Love FSU Football

FSU Number 13 In Preseason Poll

Collegiate Baseball" Newspaper poll:
1. Rice (57-13)
2. Clemson (53-16)
3. South Carolina (41-25)
4. Arkansas (39-21)
5. North Carolina (54-15)
6. Miami, Fla. (42-24)
7. Texas (41-21)
8. Vanderbilt (38-27)
9. Nebraska (42-17)
10. Virginia (47-15)
11. Georgia Tech. (50-18)
12. Cal. St. Fullerton (50-15)
13. Florida St. (42-21)
14. Arizona St. (37-21)
15. Texas Christian (39-23)
16. Tulane (43-21)
17. Wichita St. (46-22)
18. Tennessee (31-24)
19. Pepperdine (42-21)
20. Mississippi (44-22)

FSU Kicking Game Needs Makeover (First In A Series)

For far too many years, FSU fans have heard "It's wide right" or "wide left" in too many close losses because of missed field goals. For the 2007 season, the key will be to never let a field goal kick be the deciding factor in the game. I know that is easier said than done but I have very little confidence in returning senior place kicker Gary Cismesia.

For the 2006 regular season, Cismesia had a 64.7% field goal percentage and ranked seventh in the ACC.In comparison, Virginia Tech's Brandon Pace had a 94.4% percentage and Wake Forest's Sam Swank a 75% field goal percentage. If you count the Emerald Bowl, Cismesia had a slightly better percentage. Cismesia has always been able to talk a good game but hardly ever backs it up with his foot. It is difficult to understand why FSU has had such difficulty in recruiting a consistent field goal kicker. Outside of Sebastian Janikowski, FSU fans in recent times have had a lot of heartaches when it comes to watching field goals being kicked during critical times in a game.

Most ACC teams have a coach that has special teams responsibility and Wake Forest even has a coach with specific responsibilities for kicker. FSU has neither. Perhaps there should be more emphasis on coaching the kicker at FSU. It is apparent that what FSU has been doing has not worked.

Graham Gano, who will be a junior in 2007, was the kickoff specialist and punter for the Noles in 2006. He was a star field goal kicker in high school. Gano was a first team USA Today All-American, named a three-star player by Rivals.com and was the nation's No. 3 ranked kicker. In high school. Gano kicked a state record 65-yard field goal as a senior and during his senior season he kicked three field goals over 55 yards (57, 64, 65). Perhaps the Noles should throw open the field goal kicker position in the spring and let Gano compete with Cismesia.