Clemson Football Loses Commitment From Elite Special Teams Player To ACC Rival
It’s never an easy thing to lose a committed recruit, but the Clemson Tigers’ loss on Monday afternoon is exaggerated by who they lost out to.
According to a social media post from Rubio Long Snapping, five-star long snapper Alex Nocco — previously committed to play at Clemson — has elected instead to accept a preferred walk-on offer to play for his in-state Florida State Seminoles.
Nocco, who had offers from the Tigers along with Florida State and the South Florida Bulls, had been committed to the Tigers since the beginning of February.
A Tampa native, Nocco is choosing to stay closer to home, and the opportunity to play in his home state for another top tier program like the Seminoles was too good of a situation to pass up.
During an interview with the Clemson Insider, Nocco detailed the reasoning surrounding his decision. He cited the state proximity and the fact he was not going to have to wait until 2026 to enroll as would have been the case should he have stayed with his initial pledge to the Tigers.
“FSU has offered me the opportunity to be on the roster starting this summer rather than waiting until 2026,” he said. “I appreciate that I get to compete now rather than wait. Also, I have the ability to play in my home state, and with my academic scores, I have Bright Futures, which is a Florida scholarship that pays my tuition.”
Though the Seminoles got the best of Clemson in 2023, the rivalry in recent years has been largely dominated by the Tigers.
The overtime victory in 2023 ended a seven-game win streak for Clemson over Florida State, and the Tigers got right back to winning ways this past season during what was a disastrous campaign for the Seminoles.
Nocco cannot be faulted for choosing to play right away rather than having to wait a year, though it’s safe to say Clemson fans will have him under a close microscope if he’s the one snapping Florida State’s field goals and punts for the next several seasons to come.
Time will tell whether or not Nocco made the right decision, though the trajectory of the two programs over the last several years has strongly pointed to the Tigers being the superior of the two.
One of the best rivalries in the ACC just gained another chapter, this time of the special teams variety.
