A day after it was reported that FSU was trending as a major player in the recruitment of defensive line prospect Earnest Rankins, it appears that the Seminoles are now a favorite to land the prospect out of Decatur, Georgia.
Rankins will be making his announcement Wednesday, and is expected to decide between FSU and Auburn. He took his official visit to Auburn on May 16 and visited Tallahassee on June 6. Now he is expected to make a pledge to the Seminoles, which would push FSU to 21 commitments in the 2026 recruiting class.
FONG BOMB: On3's @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Florida State to land elite DL Earnest Rankins💣
— Rivals (@Rivals) July 1, 2025
Rankins is the No. 5 DL in the 2026 class.
Intel: https://t.co/ypSx4MktAt pic.twitter.com/PI0FhUzjSg
Steve Wiltfong from On3 joins 247Sports' Zach Blostein as the most recent analyst to predict Rankins to FSU. Listed at 6-foot-6, 285 pounds, Rankins would be the fourth defensive lineman in the class.
The rising senior plays at Southwest DeKalb High School and used to weigh 300 pounds. He dropped weight to improve his conditioning and quickness. Earlier in his recruitment, it appeared that Rankins was a heavy lean for Georgia, but the Bulldogs already have five defensive linemen committed in their class.
The report on Rankins is that he does not cheat the game with a lack of effort. Back in February, he told Jeff Sentell of DawgNation that his work ethic comes from his father, Earnest Sr., who owns an auto shop.
"He gets up every day," Rankins said. "Every day. No matter what. He’d be hurting or aching. He’s going to get up and work on a car. Get up and work so I can have what I need. He probably works from 8:30 to six or seven at night. Six days a week. The only day he is off is Sunday.”
FSU continues to target prospects in the Peach State
The Seminoles recruiting class already has commitments from five Georgia HS prospects. That includes the two highest-rated players in the class -- wide receiver Devin Carter (Douglasville, GA) and tight end Xavier Tiller (Fairburn, GA).
FSU is targeting several other prospects from Georgia. Four-star safety Lasiah Jackson (Leesburg, GA) took an official visit to Tallahassee on June 13 and has the Seminoles in his top group with Alabama, Stanford and Georgia Tech. Composite four-star offensive tackle Wilson Zierer (Rabun Gap, GA) took his official to Tallahassee on May 9 and has FSU, Auburn and Alabama on his final list.
Two of the three defensive line commits in the class -- Tico Crittendon (Lithonia) and Wihtlley Cadeau (Atlanta) -- are also from the Peach State.