Florida State football fans patiently await how the Seminoles' 2025 squad performs. This is a make-it-or-break-it year for head football coach Mike Norvell.
Norvell has to win now with a program that is used to being in contention for conference and national championships. This is Florida State. What transpired in 2024 with the 2-10 season should never happen.
However, the results did happen and major changes were made by bringing in new players via the transfer portal and recruiting ranks and hiring new coaches. This approach helped as the 2025 recruiting class is/was a huge success.
However, the recruiting calendar is about to be focused around the 2026 prospects as the February Signing Period happens tomorrow (Wednesday, February 5th) for all of the 2025 recruits to sign.
I know that Florida State had a five-star quarterback commit, Brady Smigiel, back off of his pledge recently. That was unfortunate, but the Seminoles' coaching staff has to continue battling against the likes of Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, and Miami for highly-touted prospects.
#blessed pic.twitter.com/9SvD1y8PaJ
— Camron Brooks (@CamronBrooks32) February 4, 2025
Florida State knows how important it is to obtain homegrown talent via the recruiting ranks. It seemed like at times the previous regime of coaches did not value high school recruiting as much as it should have, especially in the trenches.
As we know, with previous players such as Jared Verse, Jermaine Johnson II, and Keir Thomas, the defensive line needs to be solidified.
New defensive line coach Terrance Knighton brought in prospects in the 2025 cycle such as four-star Tylon Lee, four-star LaJesse Harrold, three-star Darryl Desir, and three-star Mandrell Desir at the defensive end position.
However, the Seminoles have not secured any defensive linemen for the 2026 cycle. One name to monitor is four-star defensive end Cam Brooks from Thomas County Central High School in Thomasville, Georgia. Brooks scheduled a summer official visit with Florida State for the weekend of June 6th.
I realize that you would like to have Brooks on the last official visit of the summer, but as we learned from last summer, it is more important to build a good rapport with the prospect as schools look to lock him into a commitment.
I am a little worried about Miami with Brooks, but the Seminoles have to continue developing the relationship with him and ensuring that the play on the field is much better than it was in 2024.