4-star LB Amari Gainer commits to FSU: Noles gain length and speed

Gainer is an ideal backer to combat the spread offense.

Four-star linebacker Amari Gainer has committed to Florida State on Friday evening. Gainer announced his commitment to the Noles on over Alabama, Texas, and Miami with a video posted to his Twitter account.

Gainer plays at Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, and the hometown Seminoles were favored to land him. He’s one of the class of 2018’s most athletic backers, and one who’s uniquely suited to combat the modern spread.

Gainer looks like a safety. He’s listed at 6’3 and 204 pounds, and he has the athletic range to play somewhere in the defensive backfield. He’s lanky for a linebacker, but he had 23 tackles for loss in his junior season, and he’s probably got room to fill out. But Gainer doesn’t need to be big to be good.

At the Orlando regional camp for Nike’s Opening recruiting showcase this year, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.74 seconds. That’s not breakneck speed, but it’s impressive for a 200-pound linebacker. He hasn’t tested through the roof, but his physical upside isn’t hard to spot. He takes excellent angles to the ball and is stingy in open space.

Because Gainer takes smart angles and moves well from side to side, he seems like he’ll do a great job as an outside linebacker defending spread offenses. And if he gets bigger, he could turn into a real threat against the run, too.