Dillard 2022 DL Kelly commits to Seminoles

Dillard junior standout Nyjalik Kelly is taking his talents to Tallahassee.

The Panthers defensive lineman had his choice of offers from Florida’s most well-known programs, and he picked Florida State over Florida, Miami and more. Kelly announced his commitment on his Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon.

“It just feels like home,” Kelly said. Kelly, who is rated a three-star prospect and the No. 31 strong-side defensive end by 247Sports, also had offers from FIU, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

Kelly said he’s close to FSU defensive line coach John Papuchis and head coach Mike Norvell.

“I FaceTime both of them every week, sometimes two times a week,” Kelly said. “They see me as a 3-4 edge rusher, coming off the edge.”

Kelly said he hasn’t had a chance to visit FSU’s campus since he was younger but not since he started high school. He said he wants to visit after the coronavirus pandemic ends.

Kelly, who was a Sun Sentinel AllCounty honorable mention as a sophomore, is the second Broward County player to join the Seminoles’ 2021 or 2022 class. McArthur senior Kevin Knowles II is also committed to FSU.

“When I come, we’re winning a national championship,” Kelly said.

Kelly had 45 tackles, including 20 for loss, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles last year.

Kelly is one of the first local juniors to commit to a major program. Chaminade-Madonna has two juniors committed; defensive back Brian Dilworth is committed to Auburn and defensive lineman Jamaal Johnson is committed to Miami.

“Sometimes you just feel like you’ve just got to do the right thing early,” Kelly said. “So I’m just doing the right thing early. I was going to wait it out, but it just kept feeling more and more like family.”