Florida State OL target is back on the market after decommitment from Arkansas

FSU is still looking for a true offensive tackle in the 2026 recruiting class and an old target just jumped back on the board.

Ben Mubenga, a 3-star prospect from Buford, Ga., backed away from his pledge to Arkansas earlier this afternoon and will be looking for a new program. In making his announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter), Mubenga has FSU listed among the ten programs that he is looking at.

Mubenga and FSU have some history. The 6-foot-5, 290-pounder took an official visit to FSU back on June 20. Eight days after that visit, he decided to commit to Arkansas. Going into that visit, Mubenga had been a primary target for Seminoles offensive line coach Herb Hand. At the time of Mubenga's commitment to the Razorbacks, FSU, Georgia Tech and N.C. State were the other main schools in contention. 

A native of Congo, Mubenga arrived in America in 2017 and has an older brother, Paul, playing offensive tackle at LSU. 

The younger Mubenga has yet to make any comments about his future plans following today's decision. Don't be surprised, the FSU staff is working overtime to get Mubenga on campus for the Miami game this weekend. If he shows up in Tallahassee, that could be a small hint about where he's leaning.

Still searching for an offensive tackle

​Unfortunately, FSU struck out on their major targets at offensive tackle this summer. But by being patient and letting the season play out, two of the staff's primary prospects have decommitted from their original schools after the respective coaches were fired.

Johnnie Jones, a 4-star prospect playing at Venice, decommitted from UCLA when DeShaun Foster was fired. FSU was aggressively pushing for Jones, but it appears that Missouri also has his ear. 

With limited options, FSU would like to work quickly on Mubenga and still keep an eye on Jones. But it's important to sign someone at the offensive tackle position in this class.