Panic alarms go off after Florida State pass-rusher reportedly suffers workout injury

Florida State football was able to land eight defensive linemen in its 2026 recruiting class. The large quantity of the defensive trenches suggests that the Seminoles want to follow the blueprint of the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes.

Gosh, I never thought that sentence would come out of my mouth...

However, it is true. The trenches matter in constructing a roster that strives to be successful. Head coach Mike Norvell seems to have finally gotten the process of acquiring high school talent. It felt like Florida State was trying to capture lightning in a bottle with the transfer portal, but when those transfers didn't pan out, they realized that they neglected having players with multiple years of eligibility.

Florida State freshman edge rusher Cam Brooks suffered an injury during workouts

Florida State fans want to discuss the top-ranked defensive linemen, such as four-star Franklin Whitley, four-star Earnest Rankins, four-star Jaemin Pinckney, and four-star JUCO Jalen Anderson.

However, it should be noted that the best defensive linemen in the 2025 cycle were three-star prospects with Mandrell and Darryll Desir. This isn't to say that star rankings don't matter because they are an early indicator of a prospect's projected skill set, but they shouldn't be solely relied on.

One name that fans were happy to see flip from California to Florida State during the Early Signing Period was three-star defensive end Cam Brooks from Thomas County Central High School in Thomasville, Georgia.

Brooks was someone whom certain individuals criticized Florida State for not being able to land when he pledged to the Golden Bears in April 2025. However, as many know, high school recruiting can be a whirlwind sometimes.

Unfortunately, Florida State might have some bad news pertaining to the talented freshman pass rusher, as On3's Warchant reported that he suffered a significant lower-body injury during workouts.

This is the unfortunate part about injuries because this kind of stuff happens from time to time. Brooks might not have cracked the rotation in Year 1, but this could stunt his development in being able to be a contributor in Year 2.