On Monday afternoon, Florida State football had negative news transpire that redshirt junior offensive lineman Jaylen Early. He was the final offensive lineman recruit from the 2022 recruiting cycle for the Seminoles.
It goes to show you how crazy the era of recruiting is nowadays. A portion of the fan base is angered by how much the 2022 recruiting class disappointed.
For reference, that was the cycle that former five-star defensive back prospect Travis Hunter flipped on Early Signing Day and chose to sign with Deion Sanders and Jackson State.
All in all that recruiting cycle will always be remembered as something negative anyway.
With Early's impending departure, FSU now only has 3 signees left on roster from the 22' class. If you add the 21' class, 5 out of 34 players remain.
— Nick Carlisle (@NCarlisleRivals) April 14, 2025
Only 2 have started a game. Shyheim and Omar.
The portal may inflate turnover, but this is still a real bad hit rate (production… https://t.co/jytgXCyTsF
This is a concerning trend that was mentioned by Rivals' Nick Carlisle. The Seminoles have to do a better job with keeping highly-touted recruits in Tallahassee.
This often led to the coaching staff settling for transfer portal prospects instead of developing their recruits in-house. I am not suggesting that Florida State should go out there and like Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers where they completely ignore the transfer portal and its benefits.
However, it should not be solely relied on. If we take the 2024 season, for example, the Seminoles finished with a 2-10 record. All of the fan base wants to wash the bad season away because a ton of the transfers that were acquired did not pan out (plus, the College Football Playoff snub didn't do any favors either).
How can the new coaching staff stop the bleeding and keep highly-touted recruits in Tallahassee?
The solution is very simple in my eyes. We see it throughout the country with true freshman players such as Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and Minnesota safety Koi Perich (among others) getting opportunities early in their careers.
This is a valuable lesson that the Seminoles need to play their true freshmen if they are talented enough at their respective positions. When the 2024 season turned into a trainwreck, the Seminoles' coaching staff played youngsters such as Luke Kromenhoek, Kam Davis, Micahi Danzi, Lawayne McCoy, BJ Gibson, Landen Thomas, Amaree Williams, and others.
I realize that the recruiting and transfer portal landscape seems to be all about "drama" and the dollar signs of NIL. However, the coaching staff has to show that they are willing to play youngsters to show recruits that they care about winning football games, even if it takes playing the youngest players on the roster.
There will be true freshmen on the 2025 roster who get opportunities, such as running back Ousmane Kromah, wide receiver Jayvan Boggs, tight end Chase Loftin, and cornerback Shamar Arnoux.
I am not worried about the coaching staff, even though some fans are frustrated with head football coach Mike Norvell and how the 2024 season transpired. This should be a productive 2025 cycle for Florida State football to build on for the future.