Landing this 4-star EDGE target would be a game changer for Mike Norvell and FSU

One of the big reasons that there was excitement about Nick Williams joining Mike Norvell's staff was his ability to recruit, and more importantly, his ability to recruit in Florida and South Georgia. That has shown up immediately and could pay off if the Seminoles can land four-star defensive lineman Santana Harvey.

Williams has been aggressive in his recruitment of Harvey and now FSU is listed among his favorites along with Clemson and Notre Dame. Harvey was on campus over the past week and has repeatedly spoken highly of the Seminoles and his relationship with Williams. 

Harvey has already locked in an official visit with the Seminoles and will be on campus the first weekend of June. FSU has smartly decided to throw numbers to fix the pass rush by recruiting the position heavily out of high school. The Seminoles signed four edge rushers in the 2026 class with two more "tweener" types that could grow into pass rushers, stay at linebacker or grow into defensive linemen. They also have a commitment in the 2027 class from Anthony Cavallaro, a three-star, in-state prospect that also projects along the edge.

4-star EDGE Santana Harvey is very high on FSU

This past recruiting cycle and Harvey's recruitment suggest a smart and necessary pivot for FSU in its approach. Norvell has used the transfer portal to solve FSU's issues with the pass rush for most of his tenure in Tallahassee. It worked early with Jermaine Johnson and Jared Verse, but in recent years it's been a failure. Marvin Jones Jr. and James Williams were huge busts that came at a high cost. The Seminoles did sign Rylan Kennedy out of the portal from Texas A&M, but behind him are young guys that present an opportunity to focus on in-house development.

Harvey's interest in FSU also signals an improved approach to in-state recruiting, particularly in areas where the Seminoles need to have more success. Harvey is from Lakeland in Polk County, Florida. That's an area that has historically been great for FSU. Derwin James is from nearby Haines City and significant players on the 2013 championship team, Chad Abrams (Lakeland/Kathleen) and Freddie Stevenson (Bartow) are also from the area. We can go all the way back to players like the great Odell Haggins (Bartow), Derrick Dodge (Lake Wales) and Jeff Chaney (Lake Wales) to further illustrate how important the area nestled between Tampa and Orlando has been for the program.

Landing Harvey in this class would be a major feather in Nick Williams' cap and prove that FSU is getting back to the recruiting that has made the program what it is.