Florida State finished with the No. 14 high school recruiting class in the 2026 cycle. If you’ve been a frequent reader of my work, you know I don’t put a lot of stock in where guys get ranked because these recruiting sites throw things at the wall and hope they stick for the most part.
However, FSU has a signee in the 2026 class who actually earned a massive upgrade to his recruiting ranking. FSU defensive end signee Jaemin Pinckney was the No. 657 player and No. 66 EDGE rusher in early December while committed to South Florida.
He flipped to Florida State and signed with the Noles during the Early Signing Period. Pinckey has a great frame at 6’5” and nearly 220 pounds. He’ll need to add more weight as his body matures, but his senior season was super impressive.
Pinckney has the potential to become a nice player in time. FSU needs players like this to hit if they want to be competitive
He had 91 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns. He also played offense, with 11 receptions for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
That’s an improvement from the 81 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries as a junior.
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Pinckney’s ranking jumped from the No. 657 player and No. 66 EDGE rusher to the No. 301 player and No. 28 EDGE in the latest update in the composite rankings.
Oftentimes, we see players drop in the rankings or rise in the rankings without any logical reasoning. However, that production increase, coupled with his physical traits project him to become an impact player in college and potentially beyond. It's good to see the rankings actually do it right for once.