Florida State battling several SEC teams for elite LB target

2027 blue-chip linebacker Ellis McGaskin was once committed to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. However, the 6-foot, 210-pounder decommitted back in January, making him one of the more sought-after players at his position.

The LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, and Florida Gators are seriously pushing for a commitment from McGaskin. At the moment, LSU seems to have a slight edge, but another contender is heavily involved as well, and that's the Florida State Seminoles.

FSU has been recruiting McGaskin hard for nearly three years, and he was in Tallahassee on April 4. As he talked about his top suitors, McGaskin had this to say about the Seminoles.

“I’ve been there around six or seven times, and the coaching staff stands out,” McGaskin told Rivals. “It is not just one or two coaches that recruit me, it is the whole staff at Florida State. They have always been on me hard, and that has had them high on my list for a long time.”

McGaskin is the No. 338 overall player nationally and the No. 30 linebacker per the Rivals industry rankings. He's also the No. 17 prospect in the state of Alabama.

As a junior at Williamson High School, McGaskin was absolutely dominant as a middle linebacker. He produced an unreal 160 tackles (106 solo), 26 tackles for loss, four sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, one interception, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and four blocked punts.

That was not the only way that McGaskin contributed. He also took snaps at running back and gained 258 yards on 26 carries and scored four touchdowns.