Florida State football had a productive 2026 signing class, where the Seminoles landed 32 prospects and ranked in the top-twenty, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The program had to evaluate what it was doing in the high school ranks, as its arch-rival, the Miami Hurricanes, was being successful in building trenches. Florida State is seeing the Hurricanes make an appearance in the College Football Playoff national championship next Monday because of it.
This has to hurt the fan base because all they ever want is for Florida State to be successful. Unfortunately, some individuals don't believe in the direction that head football coach Mike Norvell is leading them in. That comes with the territory of having four losing seasons in six years.
Florida State loses three-star defensive end signee Damaad Lewis
One of Florida State's biggest positives in the 2026 recruiting class is that they signed nine defensive linemen. However, I would have preferred quality to quantity. However, the Seminoles are in desperate need of securing wins to keep Norvell's job.
It is almost like they are just throwing stuff at the wall to see if it sticks. However, Florida State did think that it would have defensive linemen Kevin Wynn as well as Mandrell and Darryll Desir, to build around for years to come. The harsh reality is that all three are now in the transfer portal.
That is the realization of the college football landscape nowadays. The bad news doesn't seem to stop there with the defensive line, as Class of 2026 three-star defensive end signee Damaad Lewis has decided to de-commit from Florida State and not enroll with the Seminoles.
I want to take a moment to thank God and my family who supported me through this recruitment process. It’s been a long year but I’m ready to get to work. With that being said, I have decided to decommit from FSU and my recruitment is 100% back open.
— Damaad Lewis (@DamaadLewis07) January 12, 2026
With Lewis being from the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, it confused me that he didn't commit to a place like North Carolina State and stay closer to home. It took a couple of weeks after he visited Florida State on October 31st for the staff to take his commitment, as he pledged to the Seminoles on November 23rd.
Overall, this isn't a huge blow in my opinion, but it is strange timing for someone that the coaching staff could have avoided earlier by not taking the commitment.