The Florida State Seminoles season has been up and down thus far. Going into Week 5, this team is 2-2, with an ACC contest against Virginia next on the slate. While that's the main focus for the program, they are always keeping an eye on the future.
Florida State has started crafting recruiting classes for down the line, but on Tuesday, they lost a player from the 2027 class. Three-star tight end Connor Winn went on X and announced that he is decommitting from the program.
"First off I just want to thank Coach Norvell, Coach Thomsen, and the FSU staff for the hospitality over the last year. With that being said I’m going to open up my recruitment," Winn wrote.
It's never ideal when you lose a player who initially committed to the school, but this is the latest example of how the program in Tallahassee is viewed.
Connor Winn's decommitment could be sign of bigger Florida State issue
Everyone who follows the Seminoles knows that head coach Mike Norvell entered the season on the hot seat. For him to keep his job, Florida State would have to take some real strides forward, but that hasn't been the case for this team through four games.
The defense has been nonexistent on multiple occasions; the offense, particularly the passing game, has struggled. In their two biggest games of the season so far, they dropped both of those matchups.
Earlier in the month, Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford. After being there since 2021, the university wanted to change the energy inside the building. The Seminoles have logged two straight losing seasons, and there's no telling how this year will unfold.
Winn may have looked at the state of the program and felt like there could have been better places for him to land for his long-term development. According to 247Sports, Winn also had offers from Rutgers, Maryland, Syracuse, and UCF.
Winn is from Jacksonville, Florida, so the home-state team had the edge in recruiting, but they have seemingly lost that. Under Norvell, it's been sort of a struggle to get players to lock in with them.
As of right now, they have 15 hard commits for the 2027 class, but there's no guarantee that number will stay firm. Four-star ATH Za'Kari Johnson is currently committed to FSU, but Auburn, Miami, and Florida are also still in the mix, per Zach Blostein of 247Sports.
The fact that Winn decided to pull back and Johnson is open to doing the same isn't a strong testament to Florida State. There's no telling how the rest of the season will pan out or whether it will impact Norvell's future.
At times this season, they have left a ton to be desired, and that isn't the foundation that some recruits want to walk into. Winn's decision isn't the end all, be all but it does show fans that the Seminoles have steps to take regain the respectability they once had in the past.
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