Legacy offensive lineman signs with Florida State University

Florida State University Football — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Image by: Ruth Peterkin

The Florida State Seminoles are keeping at least one legacy home. The 2022 recruiting class for FSU just got significantly better as Alex Atkins and Mike Norvell were able to land offensive lineman Julian Armella.

There was concern on Wednesday morning when it was reported that Armella would be pushing back his decision. Regardless of this move, he decided later in the day to go through with signing on Wednesday evening.

Florida State has done an amazing job of addressing the future of its offensive line. Throughout the 2022 cycle, Ft. Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas offensive lineman Julian Armella has been the main target due to his versatility and skill on the field. At 6’6’ and 300 pounds, Armella is currently ranked as the 126th best player in the nation. Regarded as the 5th best interior lineman in the U.S., Armella can play either guard or tackle spots in college. 

Alex Atkins gained the reputation as one of the best offensive recruiters in the nation in 2021, and now landing Julian adds to that. With close to 40 offers, Julian was being recruited by just about every major program in the country. FSU took a positive turn when he visited the Midnight Madness camp once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted over the summer.

During that visit, Mike Norvell and his accompanying staff had their first real opportunity to address Armella in person and show them how he fits their offensive philosophy. After an unofficial visit for the season opener versus Notre Dame, FSU began to feel that they had made a strong impact on Armella’s recruitment.

After several coaching changes occurred at LSU, Florida, and a few other programs, Armella made his last official visit on December 10th to Florida State.

Yesterday’s signing of Julian is a huge accomplishment as it addresses a need while also showing that Florida State University is back to recruiting against the nation’s top programs. Armella chose FSU over LSU, Florida, Miami, Alabama, and a whole slew of others. Part of developing a winning program is bringing in top-tier players along the trenches. That was done in this class and it ended with a bang as Armella is now officially a Florida State Seminole. 

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