Florida State football's staff has struggled in high school recruiting during head coach Mike Norvell's tenure with the Seminoles. This isn't to say that Norvell is a bad recruiter by any means, but there were cycles where he would strike out on a recruit and navigate straight to the transfer portal.
The 2026 cycle finished in the top-15, according to 247Sports Composite, but that is not good enough for a fan base that expects championships. The arch-rivals, Miami, appeared in this year's College Football Playoff National Championship Game, while Florida has the "new car" smell with head coach Jon Sumrall.
Both programs will be trying to leave the Seminoles in the dust in recruiting. The 2025 class had shining moments as true freshmen, and Florida State is hoping to continue the momentum with the 2026 version.
Florida State schedules an official visit with four-star defensive lineman prospect Sam LeJeune
Florida State has made an excellent hire, bringing in Syracuse's Nick Williams to be its defensive ends coach. Williams has proven to be a solid developer with excellent recruiting ties.
Coach Williams has already brought in four-star defensive end Anthony Cavallaro from Largo, Florida, recently. He isn't looking to stop there, as Florida State has hosted several highly-touted pass rushers on campus in hopes of being a legitimate threat in getting after the opposing quarterback.
One recruit that I feel great about having a chance with was four-star defensive end Sam LeJeune, who visited Florida State for Junior Day last month. LeJeune is a top-75 prospect, according to 247Sports Composite.
The good news is that the defensive end has scheduled his official visit with Florida State for the weekend of June 12th. He will also be taking trips to Auburn and Mississippi State, but the Seminoles should have the advantage over those teams, even with both being SEC programs.
LeJeune called Florida State and Notre Dame the top-two teams a few weeks ago, and it looks like the Fighting Irish aren't recruiting him heavily. This sets up nicely for the Seminoles to finish strong in this recruitment by the end of the summer.