SHOULD WE BE WORRIED ABOUT 2026 RECRUITING?
Florida State football has only secured nine commitments during the 2026 cycle, where they rank as the 24th-best recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. They have only had four pledges say "yes" to the program during the calendar year.
I already wrote about whether Seminole fans should be worried about defensive line recruiting in the 2026 cycle, especially after many members of the fan base expressed frustrations on social media.
FLIP ALERT FOR MATTHEWS?
Florida State football got some good news recently to add to the topic at hand as the Seminoles have scheduled an official visit on June 20th with Class of 2026 four-star defensive end Jamarion Matthews (Alabama commit) from Gainesville, Georgia.
The Seminoles will get the last crack in his recruitment as Matthews will be taking trips to Auburn (May 30), Alabama (June 6), LSU (June 13), and Florida State. With that being said, the program did not have much luck in scheduling prospects in the last weekend of June during the 2025 recruiting cycle.
Defensive line coach Terrance Knighton and the other members of the coaching staff will have to do their best when flipping Matthews from the Crimson Tide. Obviously, if the Seminoles are able to beat Alabama in the season opener on August 30th, it could go a long way in the recruitment.
MATTHEWS' RECRUITMENT COULD IMPACT OTHER PROSPECTS
The Seminoles have their work cut out for them if they want to stay in the race for five-star linebacker target Xavier Griffin (teammates of Matthews), as he will be officially visiting Florida State on June 15th. He recently de-committed from the USC Trojans.
Griffin has been crystal-balled recently to the Alabama Crimson Tide, so the Seminoles cannot see both of their highly-prioritized targets going to Tuscaloosa. It is a huge development to get a last visit for Matthews and Griffin. I can see that the defensive coaching staff is trying to put its best foot forward in the recruitment.