Florida State has had success in the 2026 recruiting cycle. The new coaching staff has made a priority with acquiring highly-touted prospects.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, the Seminoles had the 14th-best recruiting class. The commitments include running back Amari Thomas, wide receiver Efrem White, offensive tackle Xavier Payne, linebacker Karon Maycock, safeties Tedarius Hughes and Darryl Bell III, and athlete Darryon Williams.
The journey has not been perfect for Florida State and its recruiting efforts. The Seminoles had a de-commitment from five-star quarterback Brady Smigiel. The talented signal-caller has already been crystalballed to the Washington Huskies.
Florida State now has to find a solution to the quarterback position. Head football coach Mike Norvell had success with do-it-all Jordan Travis. However, the jury is still out if Norvell can win with the Seminoles without Travis.
As fans saw with the 2023 season, when Travis suffered the season-ending injury, quarterback play can make or break an entire squad. Then, we fast forward to the disaster that was the 2024 campaign. The coaching staff thought that quarterback transfer DJ Uiagalelei would be the answer to keep Florida State competitive in the landscape of college football.
Florida State has its sights set on a highly-touted quarterback prospect in the 2026 cycle, as they will host a four-star quarterback in Landon Duckworth from Jackson, Alabama for June 13-15.
The biggest competition for the Seminoles will likely be Ole Miss, who he will be officially visiting on June 20-22. Hopefully, the close relationship with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn pays dividends in his recruitment since Duckworth was previously crystal balled to the UCF Knights.
This has got to be a recruitment that the coaching staff hits a home run with.