There's an argument for Ward to go to FSU; it's just not the argument that FSU fans think they're making or can make. Overall, the argument is that (1) FSU has been the school that's gotten the most out of its portal players, (2) it's the school with the most recent success, and (3) they can probably offer him a good NIL, though not nearly as good as our offer, so heavy reliance on 1 and 2. They can't argue that they're reloading, like some of them have been saying. Their last three HS classes were ranked 23rd, 20th, and 19th. They've got 15 guys that have hit the portal (mostly reserve guys, though a guy like Lundy is heading out even though he was 3rd in tackles on that team).
Travis, Wilson, Coleman, Verse, Benson, and probably Bell are gone. If they had those guys on the field next year, their argument would get better, but alas, they don't. Losing their top RB and top 3 receiving options, coupled with subpar HS classes and no real movement in the portal (as of yet), leaves them with a lot more ??? then we have. Meanwhile, we've got most of our RB and WR room back, along with a solid OL. We have not had the success that FSU has had recently, but we are ahead of where they were with Norvell in Year 2. Gotta sell him on our NIL package, returning starters, development, and long-term trajectory. Gotta also convince Ward that FSU is a one-and-done.
