Florida State football added another 3-star defensive end commit a few days ago when Jaxon Holly committed to the Noles after his official visit. He was the second defensive end commit in the class while Florida State pursued a top 50 player nationally, Abraham Sesay.
The Pennsylvania product was always a long shot for Florida State, and the Noles were only in the picture because of his relationship with new defensive ends coach Nick Williams. Sesay had an official visit set for Florida State this weekend, but had crystal ball projections for Notre Dame over the past few weeks.
Those projections became reality on Wednesday, as Sesay announced his commitment to the Fighting Irish and will not take his official visit to Florida State this weekend. It’s not surprising news, and it seems Florida State has been anticipating that news by working out three-star prospect Stevan Thornton III over the past week. Thornton III visited Florida State last Wednesday and worked out for the coaching staff.
The coaching staff offered Thornton a week later (today):
Beyond blessed to receive my 29th D1 offer from Florida State University! 🍢GOD’s timing is always perfect. @FSUFootball @CoachNickWill @Cairo_Football @Coach_WRC @Coach_Norvell pic.twitter.com/Z5Grvj31Av
— Stevan Thornton III (@Top5trxy) June 17, 2026
Florida State offers Stevan Thornton III after missing on Abraham Sesay
That’s the state of the Florida State program right now, trading a potential freshman impact player for a guy with high upside, but he likely needs a year or two before he can contribute anything. He has a great frame, standing 6’5”, but only 215 pounds. His wingspan is 82”, which is what you want in a pass rusher. However, he needs to add another 20-30 pounds before he can likely contribute.
Thornton hails from Cairo, Georgia, and had 91 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, and eight sacks as a junior. He took an official visit to Tulane in early June, which is the only official visit he's taken so far.
He has had some recent offers from Auburn, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Tennessee, and others since March. He's obviously a long-term play, but if other SEC schools are offering him, why is Florida State waiting so long? It's understood they need guys who can play earlier, but it's obvious they are not competing for those types of players at the defensive end position. They cost a lot of money, and Florida State isn't willing to pay those prices.
Florida State took several defensive ends in the 2026 recruiting class and probably wanted a guy who could be more of an impact guy early. They apparently sold that idea to Jaxon Holly, but I'm not sure he can make an impact early either. Maybe I'm missing something on him.
Florida State only has two guys taking official visits this upcoming weekend, and neither plays on the defensive line. The only other defensive end to take an official visit this month was three-star T.K. Cunningham, and there doesn't seem to be much buzz for the Noles there.
Thornton III could develop into a nice player for the Noles if he commits, but he's more of a project at this point. Mike Norvell may not even be the coach by the time he's ready to contribute, but that's where we are as a program.
Add us as a preferred source on Google