FSU defensive coaches have fun on social media after landing huge commitment

FSU football coaches received a commitment from four-star defensive tackle Earnest Rankins on Wednesday afternoon.

He's the highest-ranked commit in the 2026 FSU recruiting class, and it looks like FSU defensive line coach Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton gets most of the credit for this one.

One cool thing about having younger college coaches who relate to high school kids better than the previous staff is their ability to use social media correctly. FSU defensive line coach Terrance Knighton took to X to give clues that FSU was about to do work on the recruiting trail before four-star defensive tackle Earnest Rankins committed.

He's right, the job isn't done because FSU still needs some quality defensive ends in its 2026 recruiting class. However, landing Rankins is a major move for a team that went 2-10 last year. He's the third defensive tackle in the class, and it's already arguable if this defensive line class is on par with Jimbo Fisher's 2017 class.

Knighton is one of the more active FSU coaches on social media, but it was cool to see FSU defensive coordinator Tony White get in on the action. He posted the picture below, which is a "Pot Roast" simmering, indicating Knighton is cooking on the recruiting trail.

Knighton coached with White for the past two years at Nebraska, producing back-to-back top-20 defenses, according to advanced metrics. The two have a great understanding of the type of players they need to be successful in Tony White's defense. FSU has placed an emphasis on big bodies that can wreak havoc in the interior, whether they're in a 3-3-5, 4-3, or 4-2-5 scheme.

That versatility and the success of White's defenses over the past two years are major factors surrounding their success. I think we can safely say FSU would not be recruiting like this if the old staff that went 2-10 were still on the staff.