FSU football inks top-15 recruiting class on early signing day

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FSU football inks top-15 recruiting class on early signing day

Florida State football officially signed its 14th-ranked 2026 recruiting class on national early signing day.

The Seminoles welcomed 30 signees, led by 4-star defensive back Chauncey Kennon and 4-star linebacker Izayia Williams, and the program awaits talented Chaminade-Madonna 4-star wide receiver Jasen Lopez, a dual-sport signee who will also play basketball for the Seminoles, who signed at his school’s signing ceremony but has yet to be officially announced.

All three of those players are likely to compete for snaps next season, with Williams a potential starter in the linebacker room in his freshman season. Kennon is a shut-down corner who will add depth to a young defensive back room that features Shamar Arnoux, who emerged as a starter for the Seminoles as a freshman.

With few surprises and just one big flip, so far, in 4-star defensive lineman Jaemin Pinckney from USF, FSU’s large recruiting class targeted some key areas. But will it be enough to help turn things around going into year seven of Mike Norvell? Time will tell.

Here are three thoughts on the Seminoles’ recruiting class.

Wide receiver, linebacker rooms provide some potential instant impact players

Chaminade-Madonna WR Jasen Lopez warms up ahead of a Kickoff Classic at West Boca, Aug. 14, 2025.

Williams is a player who, if healthy, can be next season’s version of Mandrell Desir, the impact freshman defensive lineman for the Seminoles. The talented linebacker missed his senior season at Tavares with a knee injury, but he was an Under Armour All-American and is an explosive player in the middle of the field who recorded 125 tackles in his junior year.

Linebacker has been a position group that has largely underperformed for the Seminoles in recent seasons, both on the field and in recruitment. Williams and 3-star Miami Central linebacker Karon Maycock are a pair of linebackers who could be on the field early in their FSU careers. Gadsden County linebacker Daylen Green also has the athleticism to find his way onto the field quickly in his career.

The wide receiver room is arguably the strongest position group of Norvell’s signing class, led by Lopez, 4-star Vero Beach standout Efrem White and 4-star Devin Carter, the son of legendary Seminole Dexter Carter.

Carter’s a smooth 6-foot-1 receiver with a large catch radius who had five touchdowns and 431 yards in his senior season at Douglas County in Georgia. White was forced to play quarterback in his senior season at Vero Beach due to injuries, but he posted 2,225 yards and 27 touchdowns alongside 21 rushing scores on 916 yards.

Lopez is someone who could compete for a starting role immediately, both on the football field and basketball court. He had 1,005 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior for Chaminade-Madonna, and he totaled over 5,000 yards in his prep career, making him one of the most exciting prospects in the 2026 class for FSU.

The Seminoles went big in the trenches

High school recruiting classes are built around the trenches, and the Seminoles signed 12 players along the defensive or offensive line. FSU was able to add a few names to the class on signing day, with 6-foot-7 offensive lineman Nikau Hepi and Pinckney from USF the two notable additions.

Both sides of the ball are a priority with the Seminoles’ 2025 veteran offensive line needing to be replaced. While it’s unlikely to see a freshman start immediately on the offensive line, securing a few key pieces to build around for the future is important as the Seminoles likely go hard in the portal for help up front.

Defensively, the late pickup of Pinckney helps boost a class that featured a pair of 4-star defensive linemen in Earnest Rankins and Franklin Whitley.

The Seminoles hit home runs along the defensive line last season with the signings of Mandrell and Daryll Desier alongside Kevin Wynn, and there are hopes that this year’s class can provide similar levels of success.

Another cycle with misses, decommitments from top-end talent

While the class is solid overall, and the second-highest-ranked class under Norvell, there are a few misses for the Seminoles that could have taken the class from good to great.

The biggest hit to the class was the loss of top-100 defensive back Jay Timmons to Ohio State. Timmons had been committed to Norvell and the Seminoles since June, and he is the son of former Seminole Lawrance Timmons, but despite that, he spurned Garnet and Gold for Scarlet and Silver.

The loss of Timmons, paired with the inability to land top quarterbacks Keisean Henderson (Houston) or Landon Duckworth and other top talent, despite multiple campus visits, highlights some of the recruiting inconsistencies that have hampered Norvell during his tenure.

Flipping Pinckney and retaining Kennon and other 4-star talent is good for Norvell, who consistently gets the Seminoles in the top-25 recruiting-wise. But the misses on some of the nation’s top talent continue to be a sore spot and keep FSU from cracking into the top-10 class rankings, an area the program should expect to be annually.

FSU football 2026 recruiting class

  • Chauncey Kennon, defensive back, Booker (Sarasota, Florida), 4-star
  • Izayia Williams, linebacker, Tavares (Tavares, Florida), 4-star
  • Earnest Rankins, defensive lineman, Southwest DeKalb (Decatur, Georgia), 4-star
  • Jasen Lopez, wide receiver, Chaminade Madonna (Hollywood, Florida), 4-star
  • Xavier Tiller, tight end, Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Georgia), 4-star
  • Devin Carter, wide receiver, Douglas County (Douglas County, Georgia), 4-star
  • Efrem White, wide receiver, Vero Beach (Vero Beach, Florida), 4-star
  • Jaemin Pinckney, defensive lineman, Woodland (Dorchester, South Carolina), 4-star
  • Franklin Whitley, EDGE, Greenville High (Greenville, South Carolina) 4-star
  • Brandon Bennett, wide receiver, American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) 3-star
  • Jaden O’Neal, quarterback, Mustang (Mustang, Oklahoma) 3-star
  • Jonah Winston, wide receiver, Hoover (Hoover, Alabama) 3-star
  • Daylen Green, linebacker, Gadsden County (Quincy, Florida) 3-star
  • Steven Moore, offensive lineman, Garden City Community College (Garden City, Kansas), 3-star
  • Steven Pickard, offensive lineman, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida), 3-star
  • Jordan Crutchfield, defensive back, Vero Beach (Vero Beach, Florida), 3-star
  • Judah Daniles, defensive lineman, Fort Myers (Fort Myers, Florida), 3-star
  • Corybn Fordham, tight end, Bolles (Jacksonville, Florida), 3-star
  • Damaad Lewis, defensive lineman, Myers Park (Charlotte, North Carolina) 3-star
  • Jakobe Green, offensive line, Gadsden County (Quincy, Florida), 3-star
  • Noah LaVallee, linebacker, Walton (Marietta, Georgia), 3-star 
  • Darryl Bell III, safety, Barbara Gorman (Hialeah, Florida), 3-star
  • Chris Carbin, EDGE, Hillgrove (Powder Springs, Georgia), 3-star
  • Jalen Anderson, defensive lineman, Pearl River Community College (Poplarville, Mississippi), 3-star
  • Amari Thomas, running back, Blountstown (Blountstown, Florida) 3-star
  • Darryon Williams, wide receiver, Plant (Tampa, Florida), 3-star
  • Karon Maycock, linebacker, Miami Central (Miami, Florida), 3-star
  • Michael Ionata, offensive line, Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Florida), 3-star
  • Wihtlley Cadeau, defensive line, Booker T. Washington (Atlanta, Georgia), 3-star
  • Luke Francis, offensive line, Coral Gables (Coral Gables, Florida), 3-star

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Mike Norvell lands top-15 recruiting class for FSU football

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