Florida State football had a de-commitment from the Class of 2026 five-star quarterback pledge Brady Smigiel from Newbury Park, California.
Don't get me wrong, Smigiel is a very talented signal-caller and it is a crushing blow considering that he is such a good quarterback. However, I have to look at it from a systemic standpoint where offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has a run-oriented style that doesn't fit Smigiel's play style.
This isn't me coping because Smigiel decided to de-commit. I am just keeping it honest about the situation at hand. I think if the talented prospect went to a school like Ohio State, he would be very successful, and fans would be kicking themselves for letting him de-commit. This brings the question of what quarterback they will go after.
Florida State has offered three signal-callers since the Smigiel de-commitment.
FOUR-STAR QB LANDON DUCKWORTH
#AGTG Florida State University ⭕️FFERED 🍢🟤🔴‼️ @QBCountry @JacksonFootball @CoachGusMalzahn @FlournoyCody @BenThomasPreps @Coach_Norvell #GONOLES pic.twitter.com/I2zjKMsgVh
— Landon “DUCK🦆” Duckworth (@LandonDuckworth) January 26, 2025
FOUR-STAR QB KEISEAN HENDERSON
Florida State Offered🙏🏾 @CoachGusMalzahn @Coach_Norvell @Coach_TokarzQB @FSUFootball #GONOLES pic.twitter.com/5CPALDE4Cy
— Keisean Henderson (@KeiHenderson1) January 27, 2025
FOUR-STAR QB BOWE BENTLEY
#AGTG After a great conversation with @Coach_Norvell, I am blessed to receive an offer from Florida State!! @Nathaneelliott1 @DamianDevon @RecruitCelinaFB @dctf @247recruiting @Rivals @On3Recruits @FSUFootball @Coach_TokarzQB pic.twitter.com/g5VHx5aIUo
— Bowe Bentley (@bowebentley) January 26, 2025
ANALYSIS
This is a smart move by Florida State to open their options at the quarterback position. One thing that I disliked during former head football coach Willie Taggart's era is that the coaching staff never had a backup plan in place if a quarterback pledge de-committed from the program and they were often left with no one.
This is not something that would be ideal for current head football coach Mike Norvell. His quarterback history in Tallahassee has not been good.
Former four-star (borderline five-star) signal-caller Luke Kromenhoek transferred to Mississippi State, Tramell Jones Jr. went to rival Florida, Chris Parson de-committed, Nicco Marchiol de-committed, Luke Altmyer de-committed, and Jeff Sims de-committed.
Do you see a trend here?
Out of the three options that were offered, I think that the Seminoles are most likely to go after four-star Landon Duckworth from Jackson, Alabama. Duckworth is the fifth-best signal-caller in the 247Sports' rankings.
Duckworth was crystalballed to commit to UCF this past summer, but he remained uncommitted. During the 2024 season, the four-star had 3,439 passing yards with 39 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also added 648 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns (stats via MaxPreps).
I wouldn't panic just yet about the Smigiel de-commitment.