Florida State's 2027 recruiting class is not in the best place right now after four-star defensive back Mekhi Williams decommitted from the program. The Seminoles thought that they were starting to look up after three-star defensive lineman Eric Vaulx Jr. pledged to the program.
The Seminoles have been on a downward trend after the administration elected to retain head coach Mike Norvell for the 2026 season. It was disappointing to see for the fan base since he has combined for a 7-17 record over the past two seasons.
With that said, I get the thought process of the administration not wanting to pay a large buyout and thinking that he could return to the form from the 2022 and 2023 seasons. However, this plays a huge role in high school recruiting because these prospects don't know if Norvell will be around for 2027.
Florida State loses yet another defensive lineman target in four-star Desmond Malpress to Dabo Swinney and Clemson
Florida State got bad news recently after four-star defensive end Santana Harvey from Lakeland, Florida, committed to Clemson. The Tigers always seem to gain momentum during the first official visit. Head coach Dabo Swinney has been productive in the high school recruiting ranks, but he has been disappointing in the transfer portal.
Harvey was a prospect that Florida State was heavily interested in, and they were his second-ever offer in January 2025. Clemson only offered him in February of this year, so his committing in three months was surprising.
The Tigers struck gold again, as four-star defensive end target Desmond Malpress pledged to their program on Monday afternoon.
BREAKING: Four-Star EDGE Desmond Malpress has Committed to Clemson, he tells me for @Rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 1, 2026
The 6’4 215 EDGE chose the Tigers over South Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida, and Florida State
“Proverbs 3:5-6”https://t.co/tNBMMK5pHt pic.twitter.com/JUdE5IJSob
Malpress is a top-150 prospect in the 2027 cycle, via the 247Sports Composite rankings. The defensive end unofficially visited Florida State back on April 15th. I thought that the Seminoles would be more aggressive. It is frustrating that Malpress, just like Harvey, was offered in February by Clemson.
Florida State almost has to land four-star defensive lineman Sam LeJeune from Poplarville, Mississippi, in this class. LeJeune will officially visit the Seminoles on the weekend of June 12th.
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