One of the nation’s highest-touted running backs, five-star Cam Akers (5’11, 213 pounds, Clinton, Miss.) made his verbal commitment on Tuesday evening. Akers chose Florida State over Ole Miss, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee.
5-star RB Cam Akers announces commitment to Florida State over 5 SEC teams
Florida State gets a good one.
Per 247Sports, Akers is the No. 2 running back in the country, so it’s no secret as to why Akers is such a sought-after prospect.
Here’s what Tomahawk Nation has to say about Akers and FSU, the school that was the projected favorite according to the 247Sports Crystal Ball. If Dalvin Cook leaves Tallahassee for the NFL after this season, Jimbo Fisher having Akers on hand starting in 2017 would be a huge advantage.
If you’re thinking that Akers’ film is one of the best you’ve ever seen, we agree. His combination of size and explosiveness is extremely rare, and Akers would immediately be competing for the starting job if he ends up in Tallahassee. He is rated even higher than Dalvin Cook was at the same stage.
Florida State’s recruiting class currently sits at No. 7 nationally on 247Sports, but Akers would push the Seminoles to No. 5, behind only Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and Michigan.
Akers is from the state of Mississippi. Red Cup Rebellion adds that although Ole Miss just hired a new offensive coordinator, Akers’ roots in Mississippi could have worked in the Rebels’ favor.
Ole Miss’ 2017 recruiting class currently currently ranks 47th in the country and has just one commit rated higher than three stars. Landing Akers, the top prospect in Mississippi and the No. 1 running back recruit in the nation, would provide a jolt of momentum and help convince other recruits that they shouldn’t be scared off by the NCAA investigation.
There’s fear that Freeze’s hiring of Air Raid disciple Phil Longo might scare Akers off, but Longo’s offenses at Sam Houston State weren’t actually that pass happy. Still, the best thing the Rebels have going for them is the emotional appeal of being the in-state school.
LSU pushed hard for Akers as of late. And The Valley Shook says LSU hiring an offensive coordinator just two weeks earlier might have resulted in some uncertainty.
Word around is that he was concerned not just with uncertainty from the offensive coordinator position, but whether or not RB coach Jabbar Juluke would be retained. Not too unreasonable of a decision for a player looking for what should be a three-year path to the NFL.
New LSU offensive coordinator Matt Canada seems to have tried to woo Akers but unsuccessfully.
Correction: a previous version of this story used an incorrect blockquote that described a different player.
