RECRUITING OUTLOOK
Florida State football ranks outside the top 20 in the 2026 recruiting cycle in most databases. This is something that the fan base wants to see improve if the Seminoles want to be in the mix for the nation's elite again.
Honestly, the emphasis on high school recruiting has been hit-or-miss during the Mike Norvell era. I support the coaching staff and want to see Florida State football be successful. However, the fan base feels at times that they focus too much energy and effort into the transfer portal if they strike out in recruiting, and I cannot even deny the claim.
The summer is a period when the Seminoles' coaching staff wants to generate momentum heading into the season. Florida State has a 7.5 over/under win total after the abysmal 2-10 record in 2024.
RECRUITING WEEKEND
Florida State had several highly-touted prospects on campus this weekend. They had three-star defensive tackle/defensive end Wihtlley Cadeau commit to the program, and there is a sense that four-star wide receiver Brandon Bennett could pledge in the coming days.
With that said, everyone doesn't have to choose the Seminoles. However, there were prospects that I thought Florida State stood a decent chance with from the previous weekend. One was four-star offensive tackle Johnnie Jones from Tampa, Florida.
However, it was announced that Jones committed to UCLA on Monday afternoon, right after his Seminoles official visit the weekend before.
BREAKING: Four-Star OT Johnnie “DJ” Jones has Committed to UCLA, he tells me for @on3recruits
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 10, 2025
The 6’7 315 OT from Bradenton, FL chose the Bruins over Vanderbilt, Penn State, & Florida State
He’s the No. 8 OT in the 2026 On300
“Isaiah 54:17 Go Bruins”https://t.co/ZZckssWMqk pic.twitter.com/9ObklaKO0b
I realize that Florida State already has three-star offensive tackle commits Xavier Payne and Michael Ionata. However, it would be ideal to secure at least four offensive linemen this cycle, especially with Syracuse pushing for Payne's services.
THOUGHT PROCESS ON JONES
This was a recruitment that I thought Florida State could be heavily involved with. I know that the Seminoles have historically not been good at acquiring talented prospects in Tampa. It has to be more disappointing for the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes that scheduled him to officially visit on June 20th. Nonetheless, Coach Hand has to have backup plans in place.