FSU football: 5 biggest positional needs in 2025 recruiting cycle

Defensive Tackle/End

I'm referring mostly to defensive tackle here, but you always need elite pass rushers. FSU signed two defensive tackles and two defensive ends in the 2024 recruiting cycle. However, it'll be 1-2 years before any of those guys can contribute. The Noles lost Braden Fiske and Fabien Lovett after last season. They'll likely lose Joshua Farmer and Darrell Jackson Jr. after the 2024 season. FSU has only signed one blue-chip defensive tackle since 2018, KJ Sampson in 2023, and he was the only defensive tackle signed in that recruiting cycle. FSU MUST get better talent from the high school ranks at defensive tackle.

They've done a great job supplementing the position with players from the transfer portal, and the same at defensive end. However, there were not in the mix for any top defensive tackles in 2024. The coaches have already done a better job getting higher-quality players on campus this spring. They flipped blue-chip defensive end Javion Wilson from Alabama last month. It's a promising start, but FSU will lose a lot of top talent over the next year and will need to replenish it with more top-tier guys.