It didn't take long for Florida State to go from uninvolved in Isaac Garrett's recruitment to one of the main contenders and the recipients of his first official visit.
Within a week of his sophomore season at Snow College coming to an end in the NJCAA Tournament, the junior-college prospect was on FSU's campus early this week for his visit.
"(FSU assistant coach Michael) Fly knew about me and once he got the new job at Florida State, he was super happy and excited to recruit me," Garrett told the Osceola. "He called me and said, 'Hey, listen, I think you're a really good player who's a winner and knows how to bring a team together. After the tournament, we wanna get you on the first flight to Tallahassee...'
"I was super happy that they were interested in me. I think Florida State's a really good spot and I was excited about that and had no problem pulling the trigger on scheduling an official visit with them."
While Garrett is listed as from Pleasant Grove, Utah, and plays at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, he was born in Longwood, Fla., and has spent occasional time there throughout his life. This was his first trip to FSU and his first official visit as he ponders where to transfer to for the 2025-26 season as he enters his junior season of eligibility.
"I was super excited to get out there," Garrett said of his FSU visit. "Getting to know the staff was awesome and seeing campus and all the facilities and the resources and sitting down with (head coach Luke) Loucks and having him tell me what his vision for me as a part of his team is, what he sees me as and what he thinks I can get better at, I live for stuff like that. Knowing he's a head coach who is very reputable, I love hearing what he thinks I'm really, really good at and I love hearing what he thinks I can get better at to be a higher impact player."
Garrett just finished a second season at Snow College, which was the No. 1 overall seed in the NJCAA Tournament and entered with a 32-1 record before losing the first game to Connors State.
Listed at 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Garrett had a breakout sophomore season where he led the team in rebounds per game (7.0) and blocks (40) while averaging 14 points per game (second on the team), 2.9 assists per game (third on the team) and 39 steals, way up from the eight he had the prior season. He had seven double-doubles this season, including one in the NJCAA West District Championship.
Garrett sees the multiple ways he can be effectively utilized and his versatility as a real strength in his game as he transitions to the D-I level.
"I can play back to the basket, I can play face-up, I can play out on the perimeter. The versatility allows me to play with different people on the team," Garrett said. "I can play with the guy at my same position and if he's a down-low guy, I can go space it. Or if he's better on the perimeter, I can go down low and seal for him. It's all about versatility."
During his FSU visit, Garrett sat down with Loucks and compared him to an NBA player who Loucks worked with during his time as an assistant coach in Sacramento.
"He would show me some clips of me and he'd show some clips of (Domantas) Sabonis, who he coached and he thinks that it's ...
