Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy April Fool’s Day Seminole!

The final days of March brought the noise — on the field, in the portal, and across the recruiting trail.

🏆 Baseball swept the ACC’s weekly awards behind a historic week from Alex Lodise and another ace outing from Joey Volini.
💗 Softball shared powerful news from Coach Alameda — and the team continues to play inspired, now riding a 13-game heater.
🧠 Luke Loucks is stacking hoops staffers and players, adding two more names to the new-look roster.
🧲 Recruiting is moving fast — and March closed with some major shifts in momentum, both in and out.
🌱 Even 2027 is making noise — with another in-state ATH joining the future fold.

April’s here. The momentum is real. Let’s ride. 🍢

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🏆 ACC Honors Sweep: Lodise & Volini Named Players of the Week

Florida State Baseball (23–4) didn’t just win on the field — they dominated the awards circuit too. Junior shortstop Alex Lodise and redshirt junior pitcher Joey Volini were named ACC Player and Pitcher of the Week, marking the program’s first sweep of the conference honors since 2011. 🧹🔥

🔥 Lodise: Bat on Fire

The St. Augustine slugger hit an unreal .500 with 4 HRs, 8 RBIs, and a 1.300 SLG% across four games last week — including a cycle capped by a walk-off grand slam against Florida. It was FSU’s first cycle since 2019, and it came with flair.

📈 Lodise leads the ACC in: • 🧪 Batting Average (.466)
• 💥 Slugging (.871)
• 🔥 Hits (54)
• 📊 Total Bases (101)
Also top-2 in doubles (14) and homers (12). Yeah… he’s doing that.

🎯 Volini: Elite Efficiency

The lefty ace notched his second straight complete game in Sunday’s win at Notre Dame — a 7-inning, 11-strikeout gem that bumped him to 7–0 on the year with a 1.25 ERA.

📊 ACC Leader in: • Wins (7)
• ERA (1.25)
• IP (43.1)
Second in Ks (63) — and he’s walked just nine.

Volini becomes FSU’s first pitcher to start a season 7–0 since Michael Hyde in 2008. 😤

📍 Up Next:
The Noles return to Howser for a midweek vs. Jacksonville on Tuesday (6 PM), then a massive ACC series vs. Wake Forest (Friday–Sunday).

👉 Full details + weekend preview here.

💗 Coach Alameda Shares Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Continues Leading Team 42

Florida State Softball head coach Lonni Alameda has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently undergoing treatment at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital — while continuing to lead her top-10 Seminoles squad.

🗣️ “Cancer is a difficult diagnosis to hear, but I’ve been encouraged by the progress so far in my treatment… I’m grateful to be able to continue leading Team 42 as we chase our goals for the 2025 season.” — Coach Alameda

Alameda, one of the most respected coaches in collegiate softball, is actively coaching as the Noles ride a 13-game winning streak and sit undefeated (9–0) in ACC play.

🎙️ FSU AD Michael Alford added: “She has attacked this challenge with a positive mentality… Our primary concern is providing her with all the support she needs to focus on her health and her team.”

The support from the FSU community and beyond has been overwhelming — and as always, Coach Alameda is leading with strength, grace, and grit.

🎗️ Team 42 is playing for something even bigger now.

📍 Next Up: A top-10 rivalry clash with No. 4 Florida on Wednesday night (6 PM, ACCNX)

👉 More on Alameda’s statement and ongoing support for her journey right here.

🏀 Staff Moves: Loucks Adds Amorrow Morgan, Chris Kent to Coaching Ranks

The Luke Loucks Era is taking shape.

Florida State men’s basketball is building out its new staff with two key additions: Amorrow Morgan (from Cal) and Chris Kent (formerly of the Portland Trail Blazers), per CBS insider Jon Rothstein.

🧠 Morgan joins from Cal, where he helped land standout freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson (15.1 PPG, ACC All-Rookie Team). Known for his relentless recruiting, Morgan has coached at Loyola Chicago, South Alabama, Nicholls State, and more. As a player, he was a two-time All-Big Sky guard at Idaho State and played three years professionally in Europe.

📈 Resume Highlights: • Helped guide Cal to a strong freshman class
• NCAA Tourney + MVC title with Loyola (2022)
• 3x captain, top scorer overseas
• Master’s in public admin

🧱 Chris Kent is expected to serve as Director of Player Development. He most recently coached in the G League with the Rip City Remix and previously worked with the Chicago Bulls. Kent earned his M.S. in Sports Management at FSU in 2017 — now, he’s back in Garnet & Gold.

💥 Bottom Line: Loucks is surrounding himself with basketball lifers — energetic, player-focused coaches who bring both college and NBA experience.

👉 More details on the hires and what they bring to the table right here.

🏀 Transfer Tracker: Lajae Jones Commits to Florida State

The Loucks rebuild continues. 💪

Florida State landed its second transfer commitment of the offseason on Monday night as St. Bonaventure wing Lajae Jones announced his decision to sign with the Seminoles.

📍 The Jacksonville native visited Tallahassee this past weekend, and while he initially considered other visits, he ultimately locked in his decision by Sunday.

🗣️ "Just felt like home… best fit for me and what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go," Jones told Noles247.

🏆 Why FSU? Jones pointed to Coach Loucks’ NBA pedigree as a major factor in his decision — especially his time with the Golden State Warriors and experience developing talent at the highest level.

🗣️ "He’s bringing that championship culture to Florida State. You can’t deny he knows what he’s doing."

📊 Jones at a Glance: • 🏀 6’7”, 220-pound wing
• 📈 11.1 PPG | 5.7 RPG | 1.5 SPG (2023-24)
• ⏱️ 33.1 minutes per game (32 starts) for St. Bonaventure
• 📍 Florida native (Fletcher HS)

Jones has taken a unique path — stops at Tarleton State and Barton College before starring at St. Bonaventure — but brings length, athleticism, and experience to a retooling FSU roster.

🔥 He joins Kobe Magee as the second pledge of the Loucks Era.

👉 Read more about Jones’ decision and what it means for the Noles right here.

🧲 Future Nole: 2027 ATH Kaneilius Purdy Commits to FSU

The long game continues. Florida State landed its third commitment in the 2027 class on Monday as Lake Wales (FL) athlete Kaneilius Purdy announced his pledge to the Seminoles.

📝 Why it Matters:
Purdy is a versatile, 6’0”, 190-pounder who plays quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and defensive back at the high school level. While FSU is taking him as an ATH, he’s expected to start out as a wide receiver in college.

🚨 Early Offer Sheet: Already holding 20+ offers, Purdy picked FSU just a few months after getting offered during Junior Day back in February.

🔁 His primary connection? Longtime Nole Odell Haggins, who continues to play a key role in recruiting even after transitioning off the field.

📽️ Sophomore highlights are electric — with a mix of physicality, burst, and vision that should make him a fascinating development piece in the years ahead.

📈 Purdy becomes FSU’s third 2027 commit, joining: • 🧱 CB Jaylen Scott (Mobile, AL)
• 🛡️ S Mekhi Williams (Ruskin, FL)

🌱 A long way to go, but the Seminoles are planting the seeds early — and Purdy is one to watch.

👉 Check out his commitment post and highlights right here.

🧭 Stock Watch: 3 Trending Toward, 3 Trending Away After a Busy March

Spring practice brought a flood of visitors to campus — and now that March is in the books, it’s time to take a pulse check on where FSU stands with some key 2025 and 2026 targets. 📊

Here’s a breakdown of three names trending 🔺 toward the ‘Noles and three that appear to be trending 🔻 away:

🔺 4⭐ DL Deuce Geralds – Collins Hill (GA)
A big-time target in the trenches, Geralds visited for Legacy Weekend and already has a return trip planned. FSU is battling a national offer list here — but it feels like the Noles are gaining serious traction. Lock in an official visit and things get very interesting.

🔻 4⭐ QB Bowe Bentley – Greenville (SC)
This one stings. After being on campus recently, Bentley officially removed FSU from his list this week. The ‘Noles have other 2026 QB options, but losing out on a top-tier passer like Bentley will force a recalibration at the position.

🔺 3⭐ DB Sean Johnson – Calvert Hall (MD)
The newly ranked 3-star corner just visited for spring practice and is set to announce on April 10. Word is FSU is sitting very well heading into decision week. Stay tuned — this one could land in the Garnet & Gold column.

🔻 4⭐ LB Tyler Atkinson – Buford (GA)
The interest from FSU is clear — but it’s not being matched. Atkinson hasn’t been to Tallahassee in a while and doesn’t have a return visit on the books. The buzz right now? He’s likely headed elsewhere.

🔺 4⭐ WR Brandon Bennett – American Heritage (FL)
Speed kills. And Bennett’s got it in spades. After a recent visit to Tallahassee and with an official visit locked in for summer, FSU is firmly in the mix for the blazing South Florida playmaker. Georgia and Florida are in it — but the Seminoles have momentum.

🔻 4⭐ DB Dorian Barney – Washington (GA)
A surprise omission: Barney dropped a top six that didn’t include FSU — despite having a tentative official visit lined up. Tough blow for one of FSU’s top DB targets, but there are still plenty of high-ceiling defensive backs on the board.

📌 Bottom Line:
Recruiting never sleeps — and March made that loud and clear. FSU’s building traction with some elite pieces, even as a few high-profile names drift elsewhere.

👉 Tap here for full scouting breakdowns and timelines from Noles247.

And that’s a wrap!

The wins are real. The momentum’s real. The jokes? We’ll leave those to other inboxes. 😎

We’ll be back tomorrow with more updates as spring rolls on — including baseball’s midweek tilt, a top-10 softball showdown, and more buzz from the practice fields.

Until then, stay sharp and stay locked in. 🍢