Florida State football is outside the top twenty in the recruiting rankings for the 2026 cycle. The Seminoles look to be a little bit worried about the development. It doesn't help when head football coach Mike Norvell and his squad went 2-10 in 2024.
Recruiting has been a question mark, where one of the more important positions on the field (quarterback) has not been addressed. I can go to numerous examples of this transpiring. One fact is that Coach Norvell had a talented quarterback, Jordan Travis, to lead them in the right direction.
The 2026 recruiting cycle is limited to the Seminoles after four-star signal-caller Brady Smigiel backed off his pledge to the program, then four-star target Bowe Bentley decided to diminish his list to Oklahoma and LSU. Four-star target Landon Duckworth has been crystal balled to South Carolina. And now we learn that five-star target Keisean Henderson has shut down his recruitment.
I know that the visit could have likely not made a difference, given that he is from the area and the fact that the Seminoles got involved with him later in the process. If the coaching staff doesn't think there is a realistic chance, then why should they waste the resources?
However, I do believe that it is a dangerous proposition to put full faith in securing the likes of four-star Oklahoma commit Jaden O'Neal. With that said, O'Neal is a solid quarterback prospect that they can build around with his 6'3" and 215-pound frame.
Nonetheless, it doesn't excuse the fact that the coaching staff needs to finally hit on a quarterback recruit instead of having to rely heavily on the transfer portal. I hope that they land O'Neal when he visits campus later this month.