BOOM! Defensive line coach Terrance Knighton gets his first commitment of 2026

Florida State football secured a talented defensive lineman.
FSU football players walk into the first spring practice of the spring season on Wednesday, March 19, 2025
FSU football players walk into the first spring practice of the spring season on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 | Liam Rooney/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

WILD RIDE FOR FSU FOOTBALL RECRUITING

Florida State football's high school recruiting has been an up-and-down roller coaster during the tenure of head football coach Mike Norvell. Some fans believe that Coach Norvell only prioritizes the transfer portal rather than acquiring talent through the high school ranks.

It has been a slow process with reeling in high school prospects in the 2026 cycle with the new coaching staff. I thought that the Seminoles would have continued their success from the 2025 finish, but they only had nine commitments and ranked outside the top 20.

That isn't the standard at Florida State, and the coaching staff needed to see a change quickly to compete nationally.

GOOD NEWS

The Seminoles received good news on Sunday afternoon as three-star defensive tackle/defensive end Wihtlley Cadeau from Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, Georgia, committed to Florida State.

You had to imagine that this recruitment was going to be fast since Noles247's Zach Blostein placed a crystal ball prediction for Cadeau in favor of the Seminoles last night.

Defensive line coach Terrance Knighton finally got his first defensive lineman in the 2026 cycle. The Atlanta native chose the Seminoles over schools such as Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Cincinnati, UCF, and Vanderbilt.

QUOTE FROM CADEAU

This has been something that I expected to come from this official visit weekend for the Seminoles. I didn't necessarily think that Cadeau would be the first prospect to pop, but when you can get 6'5" and 280-pound defensive linemen that are versatile to play along the defensive line, you don't argue.

I envision that he will most likely become a defensive tackle here at Florida State. I reached out to Cadeau before his commitment, and this is what he had to say about the official visit:

"It went great. The coaches and players stood out the most to me. I felt a real brotherhood."
Wihtlley Cadeau on the OV at FSU

This will not be the last fireworks of the summer for the Seminoles as the coaching staff likes to build momentum leading up to the excitement of the 2025 season.