Florida State football made some noise with a 2027 defensive back commitment from three-star athlete DaYon Cooper. The Noles beat in-state Tennessee and Vanderbilt for the commitment, along with other schools like Texas A&M, Louisville, and others.
FSU offered Cooper in February and got him on campus a couple of times this spring before he committed to the Noles on Saturday. He’s slated to take an official visit to FSU on the weekend of June 5, and it’s the only official visit on the docket for him at this time.
Some FSU fans who only look at the star rankings will be disappointed, but Cooper is likely only a three-star because he plays on both sides for his small 1A high school in Tennessee.
BREAKING: Class of 2027 ATH Dayon Cooper has Committed to Florida State, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’1 180 ATH from South Pittsburg, TN chose the Seminoles over Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M⁰⁰https://t.co/fGKqTUCmlP pic.twitter.com/Fqwbjg0TSu
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 4, 2026
Cooper is a solid take for new FSU cornerbacks coach Blue Adams. He should fit nicely into the heavy zone scheme.
He’ll play defensive back at FSU and has outstanding size and length at 6’1” and 180 pounds. He is also a track and field athlete, similar to another defensive back FSU got from Tennessee back in the day (Jalen Ramsey). Cooper has an 11.1 time in the 100 meters as a sophomore, so he’s plenty fast, but also has great acceleration and the ability for short bursts in small areas while playing receiver on offense.
FSU will run a lot of zone coverage in Tony White’s multiple 3-3-5 scheme, and his skill set should mesh well in that system.
He's the sixth commitment in the 2027 recruiting class (third defensive back), as the class ranks No. 18 nationally. The fact that Tennessee and Vanderbilt offered him from such a small school tells me he's talented enough to take at FSU at this time.