FSU coaches waste no time targeting UCLA de-commit after Bruins fire Deshaun Foster

FSU coaches have yet to find a defensive end commitment for its 2026 recruiting class, but the recruiting pool just increased as several schools have fired their head coach.

One coach who got the axe was UCLA’s Deshaun Foster, which opened the door to several de-commits on Sunday. One of those was three-star defensive end Yahya Gaad. The Tennessee product committed to the Bruins in May while on his official visit.

Gaad previously committed to SMU in February before de-committing in April. Gaad ranks as the No. 472 player and No. 54 defensive lineman nationally. He is listed at 6’5” and 260 pounds and would be a good fit for the JACK position in Tony White’s defense.

FSU wasted no time working to get him on campus. He posted on social media that he’ll be at the Kent State game on Saturday:    

The fact that they have him coming to the Kent State game tells me it’s more to gauge interest and probably to evaluate him in person. He has never camped at FSU or visited, to my knowledge. If the visit goes well and they like what they see, I could see them trying to get him to take an official visit for the Miami game like they are planning for the top targets they have remaining on the recruiting board.

He has good size and offers from several upper-tier programs like Texas, Ole Miss, FSU, Louisville, and others. He has good size and offers from several upper-tier programs like Texas, Ole Miss, FSU, Louisville, and others. FSU already has three defensive ends taking official visits for the Miami game. They need at least two defensive ends in the 2026 recruiting class, so we’ll see how it plays out.