Florida State football did not have the season that it wanted in 2025. As a result, the Seminoles need to convince the 2027 recruits that this is the place to be.
Obviously, Florida State speaks for itself, but the defensive line has to be better in 2026. The good news is that the Seminoles decided to retain youngsters Mandrell and Darryll Desir, as well as Kevin Wynn. This should show high schoolers that homegrown talent can be successful here.
Florida State hired former Syracuse assistant coach Nick Williams to help with defensive ends. He previously worked with Georgia and Texas A&M as well. Williams was brought in to assist defensive line coach Terrance Knighton in getting his unit back on track.
Florida State football could be in line to get some highly-touted prospects
Florida State hosted its Junior Day event this past weekend, and it was a massive success, as they had four-star Wonderful "Champ" Monds IV on campus. Plus, former quarterback Jameis Winston was on campus with his younger brother Jonah Winston, who is a signee and was taking his official visit now before he enrolls in the summer.
Having Jameis Winston had to have a big impact on Monds IV, but there were more visitors than just him. The Seminoles also had two talented running backs in Ty Keys and Brayden Tyson.
On3's Steve Wiltfong discussed the Florida State Junior Day in a recent video, where he went away from the offensive side of the football. He thinks that the Seminoles ultimately land at least two of the following four prospects: Four-star defensive ends Jabarrius "Chicken" Garror (Alabama commit), Cameron Pritchett (Oregon commit), Anthony Cavallaro, and Santana Harvey.
If I had to choose my selection, I think Garror is most likely to flip from Alabama to Florida State. I get that recruiting prospects in the state of Alabama is a whirlwind, but Garror is a type of prospect that the Seminoles need to grab.
Defensive ends coach Nick Williams is putting in the work to expand the target board at the defensive end spot in 2027. I cannot wait to see how it pans out.