Yes, Mike Norvell is staying and in two weeks he plans to welcome one of the largest signing classes in FSU football history.
One of the gems of that class is 4-star linebacker Izayia Williams, a composite top-100 prospect nationally who has the athletic ability to give the Seminoles a presence at linebacker they haven't had in nearly a decade.
Williams had heard the rumors about Norvell, but it was never going to play into his final decision.
4-star FSU LB commit Izayia Williams: 'If he was there or not, I was going to sign with Florida State'https://t.co/fw3MuSM7nG
— Brendan Sonnone (@BSonnone) November 24, 2025
Williams' recruitment has been a wild ride
This is the second time Williams has been committed to FSU and, by all accounts, he appears solid to the Seminoles. But that wasn't always the case.
Williams' wild recruitment journey begins in November 2023 when he committed to Louisville. Within the first month of 2024, he backed away from that commitment to reassess things. By April, Williams had received an offer.from Syracuse and committed to the Orange a couple of weeks later.
Williams' stayed committed to the Orange all summer, but on Labor Day weekend of 2024, he flipped to FSU. That pledge stuck until November, when he de-committed before receiving a ton of offers from programs like Florida, Alabama, Colorado, USC, LSU, Texas and more.
When the spring evaluation period rolled around Williams was ready for another pledge, this one went to the Gators. However, that only lasted two months before the linebacker flipped to Ole Miss in May. Williams took official visits to Colorado, Georgia, Penn State and Florida along with an unofficial trip back to FSU.
That trip back to Tallahassee got Williams on board with the Seminoles in mid-August and he's been strong with FSU ever since.
Does FSU have a top-10 recruiting class?
No, according to 247Sports, FSU sits at 14th overall and that wasn't expected to change even after the commitment of 3-star defensive lineman Damaad Lewis.
One of the reassurances that was made by Norvell would be an overhaul of the front office and a full assessment of recruiting. Norvell has yet to have a top-10 recruiting class at FSU and his reputation as a subpar recruiter continues to be something that hampers his ability on the trail.