Florida State makes impression on 2024 DL Alex Cunningham
Johns Creek (Ga.) High School sophomore defensive end Alex Cunningham made a connection with Florida State as he took his first trip to Tallahassee in late July for The Seminole Showcase.
It was his first trip to the state of Florida of any kind.
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” Cunningham said.
The Florida State coaching staff made sure Cunningham and the group he traveled with felt like they were a priority for the future of the Seminoles’ program. Florida State offered Cunningham back on March 25.
“It was nice knowing that they have a special feeling about you, too,” Cunningham said. “It’s cool to know that an out-of-state school is looking at our state as one of the main powerhouse states to recruit out of. It means a lot for all of the divisions, mainly 6A and 7A. It just kind of shows that we don’t play around.”
The group Cunningham visited FSU with included Jojo Stone of Grayson (Ga.), Florida State commit Kam Davis from Dougherty (Ga.), Waltclaire Flynn from Grayson (Ga.), Kylan Fox from Grayson (Ga.), Prentiss ‘Air’ Noland from Langston Hughes (Ga.), Omar White from Lee (Ga.) High School and Justus Terry, a freshman from Manchester (Ga.) High School.
Florida State’s ‘family atmosphere’ impresses Alex Cunningham
Coaches met the players outside as they arrived on campus. Alex Cunnigham got a chance to speak with Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and see his office.
Cunningham said he enjoyed the family atmosphere in Tallahassee, and Florida State pitched the new upgrades coming to their facilities — a 150,000 square-foot facility. Originally, it was scheduled to open in July of 2021. As a result, Cunningham grew intrigued.
“There’s a family atmosphere down there,” Cunningham said. “All those dudes on the coaching staff are family-oriented… It’s nice knowing that I could become the best with the best.”
The group got a chance to sit down and eat together while touring the school together.
As a result, Cunningham found out some of Georgia’s best recruits in the class of 2024 are more than good football players.
“That was my first time meeting some of them and it was nice getting to hang out with some of them,” Cunningham said. “It was a nice bonding experience for that 2024 recruiting class.”
The players fell victim to their competitive spirit, too. Cunningham said during some downtime on the visit the traveling party found a pool table.
Once Cunningham witnessed some of the skills of his traveling companions, he took a step back and remained a spectator.
“I was going to get beat and I knew it,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham says he felt Stone was the best of the bunch.
Recruitment taking shape
Since his trip to Tallahassee on July 25, Alex Cunningham has picked up offers from Pittsburgh, Texas Tech, West Virginia and Tennessee.
Cunningham is taking things slow in his recruitment. He has built a solid relationship with the coaches at Georgia. He’s also taking a liking to Shane Beamer at South Carolina.
Johns Creek visited South Carolina as a team, and Beamer watched their workouts and brought Cunningham into his office to offer him a scholarship.
It was the first time Cunningham got an offer from a head coach. He plans on heading to Columbia for a game at some point in 2021. He doesn’t have a schedule for that trip yet.
“I’m just staying humble and thanking God for everything I get,” Cunningham said. “I’m only a sophomore. I’m interested in everybody that is interested in me. Relationships are important to me.”