3 recruiting targets Mike Norvell cannot afford to lose during official visit season

There have been a few official visits before this weekend, but May 29 unofficially kicked off the peak summer recruiting for the 2027 class. For Florida State, it’s not the busiest weekend, hosting just six recruits. However, top Seminoles targets are also taking visits elsewhere, including the top-ranked commit in Mike Norvell’s class. 

Without much certainty about the future of the program, and particularly its head coach, FSU has gotten off to a slow start to the 2027 cycle with just seven commits, only three blue-chips, and a class that ranks No. 32 in the country. 

Norvell and his staff’s ability to recruit high school talent in Florida and across the country has drawn consistent criticism throughout his tenure. A front office overhaul that included hiring John Garrett as the program’s general manager and Joe Manion as the director of scouting hasn’t seemed to alleviate those issues. FSU just made a bad bet on the direction of the NIL era and dug itself a hole that has proven difficult to climb out of. 

Then there’s the fact that Norvell is entering the season on one of the hottest seats in the country. That instability could prevent him from landing new commits, and failing to land priority commits feeds that instability. Ultimately, none of it will matter if he ends up losing his job this season because the recruiting class will fracture. But for now, a strong recruiting cycle can help stave off that eventuality 

Because the Seminoles are behind the eight-ball in many ways, it has become doubly important to hold onto the top targets trending in their direction and early commits through the official visit season. These three recruits should be at the top of that list. 

1. Mekhi Williams, S, 4-star (FSU commit) - FSU visit: June 5

Williams committed to Florida State in March 2025 and has been the top-rated recruit in the class since. A rangy ball-hawking safety, the 6-foot-2 Ruskin, Florida native is ranked No. 197th in the country by 247Sports Composite. Despite being such a longtime commit, however, Williams has never shut down his recruitment, and on May 29, he began an official visit with Wisconsin, which has been gaining steam to flip his commitment. 

LSU is also looming with Williams, as Lane Kiffin’s newly assembled staff at LSU offered him in May. Along with an upcoming trip to Tallahassee, Williams has official visits lined up to Nebraska and LSU. 

2. Sam LeJeune, DL, 4-star - FSU visit: June 13

There aren’t many top 150 recruits planning trips to Tallahassee this summer, so Sam LeJeune is Norvell’s best chance to make a real blue-chip splash. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive tackle from Poplarville, Mississippi, is ranked No. 105 in the country and a top 10 interior defensive lineman. 

He’s primarily a three-technique, but his explosiveness and get-off will give him versatility to play up and down the line of scrimmage for defensive coordinator Tony White, who uses a variety of different fronts. LSU is also a factor with LeJeune, who has visits scheduled to Washington, Auburn, where he is this weekend, and Cal. 

3. DaJohn Yarborough, OL, 4-star - FSU visit: June 5

Florida State has leaned very heavily on the Transfer Portal to build the offensive line, and over the past few years, that’s been the most difficult position group to procure on the open market. Everybody needs offensive linemen, and if you have a good one, you’re going to pay up to keep them. So, if Norvell is going to turn this around and be in Tallahassee for the long haul, he needs to start building organically in the trenches, and a massive 6-foot-5, 340-pound guard could be a foundational piece. 

Yarborough is ranked No. 415 in the class and the No. 23 interior offensive lineman. His recruitment still appears to be wide open, so an official visit season that includes trips to Mississippi State, Florida State, Cal, and Washington will likely be influential.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow