Scoreboard changer: What new RB commit Amari Clemons brings to FSU football

FSU football lost its top commit, Brady Smigiel, from the 2026 recruiting class on Sunday evening but added a blue-chip running back with the potential to play early less than 24 hours later when Amari Clemons announced his commitment to the Noles.

What does Clemons bring to FSU? He's the second-highest-ranked running back in the Sunshine State who only lives about an hour west of Tallahassee. Clemons is 5'10" and 190 pounds with incredible production and has a junior with limited snaps.

He only played in 10 games but had 2,280 all-purpose yards with 37 touchdowns. He averaged nearly 14 yards every time he touched the ball. Clemons ran a personal best 11.5 time in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore. Notice how he makes one cut and is gone for a long touchdown run below:

That home run-hitting ability is something FSU lacked once Trey Benson went to the NFL. The reason I mentioned his all-purpose yards is because he's a threat to make plays out of the backfield in the receiving game to:

Clemons is more than someone with speed. The clip below shows he's not easy to bring down. Also, notice how he sticks with the fundamentals and switches the ball to his outside hand as he gets near the sideline before scoring. That's likely one of the reasons he rarely fumbles the ball (zero fumbles in 2024).

It's easy to see why Gus Malzahn and David Johnson like him so much as a running back. I find it hard to believe there are 23 better running backs nationally. It's still relatively early for 2026 recruiting rankings, but it wouldn't surprise me to see Clemons' ranking improve as they update rankings.