According to 247Sports, there are two four-star quarterbacks from Florida in the 2028 class: Jayden Wade, who is the No. 2 overall player in the country and destined to earn his five-star billing, and Neimann Lawrence, a top-100 player at No. 73 in the class. Both are committed, Wade to Georgia and Lawrence to Texas.
So, if Florida State is going to land an in-state quarterback in the 2028 class, it needs to look further down the board to the next tier of QB. That’s where it will find 247 three-star Brady Quinn, from Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Florida. At No. 54 in the state by 247 and No. 35 among 2028 QBs, there’s an argument he’s one of the more underrated passers in the class and primed for a significant rise.
Florida State extended its offer to Quinn in October and has remained on his radar throughout the process, despite the uncertainty surrounding Mike Norvell. Whether Norvell stays or goes, there’s a strong chance that FSU’s front office, led by recently hired general manager of player personnel John Garrett, remains in place, so the early groundwork is important to lay.
Quinn isn’t FSU’s only 2028 QB target, but he appears to be its top in-state option, and that matters for a front office tasked with turning around Norvell’s lackluster in-state recruiting efforts.
John Garrett and FSU’s front office need to lay strong groundwork with Brady Quinn
There’s no reason to rule out Norvell being the head coach of the Seminoles in 2027 and even beyond. Even after this season, his buyout is over $50 million, so if he shows any signs of leading the program in a more positive direction, it could be in everyone’s best interest to keep him around. It’s likely a lame-duck year, but that possibility does exist.
Even if the likeliest scenario does play out, however, and Norvell is fired, it’s still relevant to look at the players FSU is targeting early in the 2028 class, because the team-building apparatus could look very similar. Garrett wasn’t the only arrival this offseason. He came in with Joe Manion as the director of college scouting and Taylor Edwards as the director of football and player acquisition.
Garrett left Duke, and Edwards left Miami for the job. It’s hard to imagine they would have done so if they knew their fate was tied to Norvell. What incentive would they have to hop on that sinking ship and risk being out of a job less than a year later?
For now, I’m operating under the assumption that Garrett will be around and have some say in the next hire. Which, as an aside, could make a Manny Diaz reunion a strong possibility because Garrett came from Duke. Back to the point, that means some recruits are ‘Garrett guys, ’ if you will, players tethered more to the front office than to the head coach. As the earliest 2028 QB targets, it’s safe to assume that Quinn and Georgia four-star QB Chandler Dyson are favorites of the front office.
Leading a talented roster at Chaminade, Quinn is going to put up big numbers in his junior year. If he does, he’ll shoot up recruiting boards, assume his place as a four-star recruit, which he already is by many outlets, and be even tougher to land. That’s why FSU should want to get in early on this one.
There also aren’t many top recruits who would consider a program with a head coach on such shaky ground. Quinn seems to be, and that should only add to the urgency in Tallahassee.
Add us as a preferred source on Google