Florida State football ranks as the 20th-best recruiting class in the 2026 247Sports Composite rankings. To be honest, that is not the standard of what individuals expect the Seminoles to finish at with their recruiting class.
Lately, there have been crickets on the recruiting front. Fans think transfers are a great idea when filling those last-minute needs on the roster for 2025, but they want to see more of an emphasis on acquiring high school recruits to set the future foundation of the program.
With that said, here are five prospects from the 2026 cycle that I want to see Florida State secure in their recruiting class.
QB LANDON DUCKWORTH
Florida State is currently without a quarterback prospect committed in its 2026 class. The Seminoles suffered the loss of four-star Brady Smigiel, who is now committed to Michigan. The program still hasn't acquired a signal-caller since that point, but they have their sights set on four-star prospects Landon Duckworth and Jaden O'Neal.
O'Neal is currently committed to the Oklahoma Sooners, while Duckworth has been receiving predictions in favor of Ole Miss. I am a huge fan of Duckworth's dual-threat ability, plus offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has a previous relationship with him. I hope that the coaching staff continues to fight for his services even with him trending to the Rebels.
WR DEVIN CARTER
Florida State has stayed in communication with four-star wide receiver Devin Carter, even though he has been committed to the Auburn Tigers. Carter is one of those type of recruits that the Seminoles cannot afford to miss.
He is a legacy prospect with his father playing running back with the Seminoles in the late 1980s. The younger Carter has still shown support for the Seminoles, even with the pledge to Auburn. This is a needed position for Florida State, and they need to capitalize on his visit on June 6th.
OT SAMUEL ROSEBOROUGH
Florida State has three-star prospects Xavier Payne and Michael Ionata. The offensive line position group is led by former UCF offensive line coach Herb Hand, who has had experience with other Power Five options such as Auburn, Texas, Penn State, Vanderbilt, etc.
The problem for former assistant coach Alex Atkins was that the fan base did not see any sense of improvement with high school recruits. The Seminoles hope that they can generate momentum for four-star offensive tackle Samuel Roseborough, who has schools such as Texas and Texas A&M in his recruitment.
DE TRISTIAN GIVENS
Florida State has looked to navigate an official visit to an in-season trip for four-star defensive end target Trenton Henderson, who is from Pensacola, Florida. Henderson looked to be a top target for the coaching staff, but it doesn't give me a great feeling that he rescheduled the visit.
As a result, defensive end is something that the coaching staff knows from experience that they cannot flop on. Four-star pass rusher Tristian Givens from Columbus, Georgia, is someone that I would love for this coaching staff to pursue. He has not scheduled his official visit, but it could happen soon. Givens has 30 sacks in two seasons.
LB XAVIER GRIFFIN
I know what most individuals are going to say about this one. Five-star Xavier Griffin is a linebacker, and that position has not been recruited well by the Seminoles. Griffin has been a long-time target by this coaching staff, but he remains pledged to the USC Trojans.
It is an awkward commitment, but Florida State has to put its best foot forward and schedule his official visit in Tallahassee. Griffin is a prospect who moves sideline to sideline very well and can give opposing offenses problems with his skill set.