A big part of a successful recruiting class is retaining the commitments. The time period between when they commit and when they have to sign leaves lots of space for other programs to jump in.
FSU isn't afraid to aggressively go after a prospect committed to another program, and sometimes they have to go on the defense and hold on to prospects that are receiving overtures from other schools. Right now, a name that is being circulated as a potential class defector is composite four-star safety Darryl "Tre" Bell.
Auburn remains in the mix for Florida State 4-star safety commit Darryl Bell, he tells @BenjaminRivals👀
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 27, 2025
Read: https://t.co/HiFzCfFZMz pic.twitter.com/79IKTwiVGU
Bell has been in the class for a long time, since October 2023. He was one of the few prospects that held strong for the Seminoles during the disastrous season of 2024. Bell took only two official visits over the summer, one to Tallahassee on June 13 and the other to Auburn on May 30.
And the Tigers can't seem to take no for an answer. I get it, so far Mike Norvell has just been smacking Hugh Freeze around on the trail for the most part. After getting shoved a locker numerous times, Freeze was eventually going to have to stand up for himself.
Four-Star S and longtime FSU Commit Tre Bell ( @Trebelldatman0 ) arriving in Tallahassee. pic.twitter.com/Rjf75pcicn
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) June 13, 2025
Bell is an intriguing prospect and, from a character standpoint, he's a throwback to a time when high school athletes played for the school they were supposed to attend and stayed loyal. He will also be the first football prospect from the Goleman High School (Miami Lakes) program to sign with a Power 4 program.
The Goleman football coach, Ariel Cribeiro, credits the Seminole staff and former linebackers coach Randy Shannon for doing their due diligence and regularly stopping by the school to look at the players. There's no doubt that early contact played a big part in Bell choosing Florida State.
"I think Florida State just showed him a lot of love," Cribeiro told Zach Blostein of Noles247. "They were very honest with him. I know that for Tre, for his family, for his mom, for his brother, it's all about having a family atmosphere. I feel like at our school, we have that. I think he saw a lot of the same things with coach Norvell and coach Shannon at the time.
Right now, FSU is flexing with a recruiting class ranked 14th overall. You'll have to scroll down and click on 'load more' to see Auburn's class at No. 70.