The harsh truth is that FSU isn't going to sign any highly-rated prospects on the offensive line in this class. It's unfortunate, but not a surprise, because the program hasn't signed many top players in the past decade at the position.
But the Seminoles staff is going a little smarter route in their efforts to replace the top six offensive linemen from the 2025 squad. They have decided to throw some more numbers at the problem and look under all available stones to find some big men that can improve play in the trenches.
That search led them to pulling a big man out of the NFL Academy in Australia, grabbing 3-star prospect Nikau Hepi.
FSU kicks off Signing Day with last-minute addition: Former Auburn OT commit Nikau Hepihttps://t.co/7A0hDHkFbO
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) December 3, 2025
Hepi has the thing you can't teach...size
The New Zealand native is reportedly 6-foot-7 and over 360 pounds. That's the kind of size that Herb Hand can definitely work with. Hepi has a background in rugby, but is very new to football, so while this isn't a prospect that will likely over anything in 2026, he could give the Seminoles a capable in-house real offensive tackle down the road.
It doesn't hurt that Hepi was previously committed to Auburn and only backed away from that pledge a few days ago, once the TIgers' new coaching situation was revealed. The best thing to hope for is that Hepi can pick up the game quick enough to play some snaps in 2027 and continue to develop into a significant contributor from there.
Exploring all avenues for OL help.
So, FSU has already gone the junior college route, grabbing projected guard/tackle Steven Moore, who was previously committed to Arkansas State, but chose the Seminoles over another recent offer from Oklahoma State.
With the Hepi and Moore signings, FSU will sign five offensive linemen during this cycle. That includes in-state prospects Steven Pickard Jr., Michael Ionata and Jakobe Green — all 3-star prospects that are projected to play interior roles.
This gives Herb Hand plenty of different pieces of work with for the next 12 months, and we'll get a good idea of the players that can contribute in the future. It looks like FSU will have to go pretty hard in the transfer portal again for the 2026 season, but the more in-house options available down the road, the better things will be.