FSU football recruiting: What's happening with 2026 quarterback recruiting?

The entire Brady Smigiel de-committing debacle after FSU fired Alex Atkins and hired Gus Malzahn as its new offensive coordinator has been documented.

FSU wasted no time sending several new offers to talented blue-chip quarterback targets nearly immediately.

The Noles have offered 12 targets(not including Smigiel), but two stand out as top targets. Those would be Four-star Landon Duckworth and four-star Bowe Bentley.

Duckworth ranks as the No. 54 player nationally and the No. 5 quarterback. He hails from Jackson, Alabama, and has a good relationship with Gus Malzahn. Duckworth camped at FSU in the summer of 2023.

Bentley ranks as the No. 151 player nationally and the No. 10 quarterback. He hails from Texas, the same state as 2025 four-star QB signee Kevin Sperry.

Duckworth has been busy helping his high school basketball team reach the Final Four.

However, Bentley visited Texas Tech and Oklahoma before the dead period. Neither player has visited FSU since receiving their offers in January, and neither have official visits set anywhere yet.

Quarterback recruiting is usually different than other positions, and teams want to get their guy in the fold(why FSU has Smiegiel committed so early) to help build the class.

Quarterback recruiting usually comes in waves as guys make decisions, and FSU getting one or both or neither to take official visits will tell us a lot about where they stand in the pecking order.

FSU already has 40 official visitors set over several dates, with the majority happening over three weekends in June.

Bentley would be a solid get, but Duckworth would be the No. 1 target. He has already been to FSU at least once, has met Mike Norvell and Tony Tokarz, and already has a relationship with Gus Malzahn since he offered him while the head coach at UCF.

Malzhan got Duckworth to visit UCF shortly after he de-committed from South Carolina. However, it looks like the Gamecocks are still in the mix. My co-worker, Taylor Devers, believes the Noles have a realistic shot to land Duckworth.

Here's where it gets interesting. In-state Alabama doesn't seem to be interested in Duckworth right now, and Auburn already has two quarterbacks set for official visits in May, including five-star quarterback Jared Curtis.

Let's see who FSU gets for an official visit, and that might be the tale-tell sign.