Florida State added another piece to its 2025 class on Wednesday when offensive lineman Chavez “Sandman” Thompson announced he was flipping his commitment from FIU to FSU. The 6-foot-1, 310-pound recruit is considered a center for the Seminoles. Although he is a little undersized, Thompson brings a handful of positives to be excited about.
He displays versatility in that he has played center and guard and was expected to start his freshman season at guard for FIU. Thompson was also a fairly dominant defensive tackle on a loaded Cocoa defense last season racking up 61 tackles, 14 TFL, 4.5 sacks, and 14 QB hurries. Another nice aspect is Thompson has a background as a wrestler which is great for an offensive lineman. He was a district champion as a sophomore before taking his junior season off but now plans to wrestle for Cocoa as a senior.
Thompson began his high school career at Eau Gallie in Melbourne, Florida before transferring to Cocoa. He has been a contributor for all 4 years of high school and started the past two seasons. Thompson was the starting center at Cocoa in 2023 helping lead them to a third consecutive state title. His height may not pop off the stat sheet, but Thompson has long arms and big hands that pair well with a powerful lower body. He also has quick feet and good body control as one would expect with a wrestler. He’ll need some polishing to get ready for the college level, but FSU has already brought in Wake Forest transfer Luke Petitbon to be their starting center in 2025, so there is no rush. Thomspon would also be an interesting prospect at defensive tackle if things did not work out on the offensive side of the ball.
All the stars seemed to align for Thompson to land with the Seminoles as he was heavily involved with FSU in the past and was recruited by Herb Hand at UCF. Originally committed to Oregon, Thompson flipped to Florida International just a week before flipping to FSU. Thompson cited his relationship with coach Hand and their vision for him as one of the driving factors in choosing the Seminoles. He will be a summer enrollee and is expected to join the program in late May. Sandman Thompson is rated as a three-star prospect and the 73rd-ranked interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class per the 247 Sports Composite. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
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