Florida State high school football recruiting has gone one of two ways in the Mike Norvell era for the most part. The staff either completely whiffs and never gets a shot at a top player, or they land a commitment and then lose that player in the 11th hour to another team. It has happened so many times it’s not even funny, and usually that player goes on to become a top selection in the NFL Draft.
That trend continued on Thursday night when former Florida State commit Keldric Faulk was selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the No. 31 overall pick.
Faulk was part of the 2022 high school recruiting class and the No. 75 player nationally via composite rankings and the No. 10 defensive end. He selected FSU over Auburn and other schools early in that recruitment cycle, and it was a huge win for Mike Norvell and the staff at the time. However, the closer he got to signing day, the more Auburn tugged at his heartstrings (and put some extra in his wallet), and he ultimately signed with the Tigers.
One word to describe Keldric Faulk = happy
— NFL (@NFL) April 24, 2026
2026 NFL Draft starts on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
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The list of top players who have decommitted or courted FSU hard, only to go somewhere else is long and distinguished under Mike Norvell.
He was an impact player immediately at a position that Florida State sorely needed to create a pass rush. FSU not having a pass rush in 2024 and 2025 was a direct result of losing that recruiting battle to Auburn. It hurts to lose a top commit, but to see them flourish elsewhere is the double whammy.
We’ve seen it with Travis Hunter and KJ Bolden. It’s a constant reminder of what could have been, but some fans also believe Florida State fans at developing high school players, so maybe he wouldn’t have made the same impact at FSU. Either way, losing recruiting battles for top players is never good, but it seems FSU is struggling to get into those battles at most position groups under Mike Norvell due to the state of the program over the past two years.
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