Mike Norvell and Florida State recommitted to high school recruiting in the 2026 class, adding 34 players, with 33 currently on the roster for the upcoming season. The No. 17 class in the country was generally a win for a program that desperately needed it after back-to-back losing seasons, but it could have been an even bigger boom if Jay Timmons had made it to Tallahassee.
Timmons, a five-star defensive back from Pittsburgh, PA, committed to FSU in June 2025 and remained in the class until November, when Ohio State finally flipped him away. Following a stellar senior season at Pine Richland High School, he finished as the No. 25 overall recruit by 247Sports Composite.
Now, Timmons is already making waves in a talented Buckeye secondary, and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s comments about his performance in his first fall camp are reopening that wound for the Seminoles.
"His ability to make plays. He's super competitive. He's edgy. He just has a knack for the game, and he's got really good instincts," Day told reporters on Saturday when asked about Timmons.
Jay Timmons may be pushing to start as a true freshman at FSU
Not only has Timmons been impressing his new coaching staff, but he’s been working at a position of sudden need for the Noles. FSU has largely stayed healthy through fall camp, but the one serious injury came at nickel, with Notre Dame transfer Karson Hobbs tearing his ACL, which will keep him out for the season.
Timmons has primarily worked at nickel for the Buckeyes and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, he’s a willing tackler who loves to play downhill and trigger quickly out of zone coverage. More of a safety moving to nickel than an outside corner, he’d be a good fit for a role primarily filled by Ashlynd Barker last season, as Barker moves back to starting safety full-time in 2026.
Ma’Khi Jones, a Duke transfer, is likely to take the first snaps in the nickel for FSU this year, and South Alabama transfer Nehemiah Chandler may slide inside. Norvell also named Ricky Knight III as someone pushing for playing time in that spot as he prepares for his junior season.
A name not mentioned in that role is four-star cornerback Chuck Kennon, who wound up as FSU’s top-ranked commit in the 2026 class after Timmons decommitted.
Chuck Kennon hasn’t made much of a push for playing time at fall camp
Kennon is a boundary corner at 6-foot-2, 186 pounds, so he won’t be in the mix at nickel, even with Hobbs out for the year. He’s a different player than Timmons, so it’s not a one-to-one comparison, but Timmons is impressing Day and seemingly pushing for time in Columbus, while Kennon, the No. 60 overall recruit in the country, is at best going to be FSU’s fourth outside cornerback.
FSU’s 34-player 2026 class, which is already down to 33, was a rebuilding effort for the future, but with Norvell on the hot seat, he needs it to start paying some dividends right away. Four-star wide receiver Jasen Lopez and four-star linebacker Izayia Williams have done that, but Kennon won’t be much of a factor barring injury.
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