All eyes have been on Florida State’s pursuit of four-star safety Ta’Shawn Poole, who will announce his decision on Friday evening. Before that, Florida State fans had their sights set on four-star offensive lineman DaJohn Yarborough, who committed to Cal on Saturday. However, amidst those pursuits and an early-week prediction for the Noles to land four-star Za’Kari Johnson came an under-the-radar commitment for FSU.
On Tuesday afternoon, kicker Vance Fones from Orlando announced his commitment to the Seminoles, posting on social media, “I am beyond excited to announce my commitment to play football at Florida State University.” Fones is the 14th commit in FSU's 2027 class, which still ranks outside the top 50 in the country.
100% COMMITTED! 🍢
— Vance Fones (@VanceFones) July 14, 2026
I am beyond excited to announce my commitment to play football at Florida State University.
I want to thank God for faithfully guiding me every step of this journey and for blessing me with this incredible opportunity. I also want to thank my family for their… pic.twitter.com/k9jAkarI4I
Florida State lands a commitment from Vance Fones
Fones reportedly impressed Florida State’s coaches, including newly-hired special teams coach Adam Scheier, one of the 2026 additions to the staff. He also attended a spring practice in Tallahassee in April, and from that point on, Fones stayed in close communication with the staff, leading to his commitment.
By Kohl’s rankings, Fones is the No. 21 kicker in the country and No. 3 in Florida. The Noles previously missed out on No. 7-ranked kicker Noah Ash, the top-ranked kicker from Florida, when he committed to Auburn earlier this year. Barron Burris, the No. 2 kicker in the state, remains uncommitted.
Fones is listed at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds. He was a second-team All-State kicker in Florida in 2025-26 for The First Academy.
A kicker commitment is never going to be the biggest news of the recruiting cycle, but this move is fairly significant for Norvell and his staff. There is a level of uncertainty surrounding the kicker situation heading into 2026 after Quincy University transfer Conor McAneney was arrested in March on multiple charges, including battery on an officer, and was suspended indefinitely by the team.
Gabe Panikowski, a redshirt senior transfer from Idaho State, is expected to be the primary place kicker for Florida State in 2026, but if McAneney is no longer an option, FSU does not have a long-term answer at the position.
Friday’s commitment from Poole will still be the biggest recruiting news of the week for Florida State, no matter which way it goes. Poole is overwhelmingly favored to choose the Seminoles with multiple crystal ball predictions by 247 and over 90 percent by the Rivals Prediction Machine. If he does commit, he will be the only top-100 player in FSU's 2027 class.
Still, Fones is an important pickup for the Seminoles. He fills a position of need and seemingly impressed the staff this summer.
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