Devin Carter commitment keeps the family ties strong for Florida State football

Legacy recruits can be a tricky thing in recruiting.

It's always the hope that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and at a place like Florida State, the pressure of the younger generation to live up to their parent's name can be overwhelming.

However, Mike Norvell has never shied away from playing up the family angle, and recently it worked out for him when four-star wide receiver Devin Carter made his pledge to the Seminoles, flipping from his previous commitment to Auburn. The 6-0, 175-pound Carter is the son of Dexter Carter, who played running back at FSU from 1986-1989 and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft.

The stud receiver became Florida State's eighth verbal commit in June. At the time of his pledge, Carter became the highest-rated verbal for the Seminoles. After five years of poor roster management and mediocre high school recruiting under Mike Norvell, the Seminoles have to get some bang for their buck in this class. Florida State currently holds 18 known pledges for '26, with the class being ranked No. 9 in the country by 247Sports.

The family legacy continues for Devin Carter after he committed to Florida State

Carter is not the only legacy target that the Seminoles are actively recruiting in this class, Florida State is also in hot pursuit of four-star cornerback Jay Timmons, son of former linebacker Lawrence Timmons. The younger Timmons is currently committed to Indiana, but recently took an official visit to Tallahassee and appears ready to flip to the place his dad called home in the mid-2000s.

"This has just been a life-long dream of mine," Timmons told Chris Nee of 247Sports. "It is something that I've thought about since I was born, just being down here. Being back down where I was born and where my dad played at, where mom has all these memories that she's told me about. It just has a special place in my heart."

FSU is in a good position to add Timmons to the class and the Noles also have a commitment from linebacker Noah LaVallee, the youngest brother of current roster linebacker Caleb LaVallee. Those moves are nice, but there have also been some family reunions that didn't work out.

When Marvin Jones Jr. spurned the Noles to sign with Georgia in 2022, it was shocking to fans and one of the key moments when Norvell's ability to recruit blue-chip talent out of HS came into focus. The idea that the son of former All-American linebacker Marvin Jones wouldn't be part of the Seminoles class had everyone shaking their head.

But in 2024, Jones Jr. entered the transfer portal and finally came home to Tallahassee. It was thought to be one of the most important transfers of the year. Jones Jr., however, had a lackluster season with 25 tackles and four sacks. He left Florida State after the season and transferred to Oklahoma.

Also there's the case of offensive lineman Julian Armella, son of former Seminoles trench warrior Enzo Carmella. The younger Armella came in with tons of fanfare, but played sparingly in three seasons wearing the Garnet and Gold. He transferred to UCLA after 2024 and was running with the ones in Westwood for spring camp.