Seminoles have once again found themselves in a bad position that seems to be a routine for them over the last year
The Florida State Seminoles lost out on another elite recruit in a close battle, this time to a historically much worse program.
The Florida State Seminoles continue to struggle with the same thing they have struggled with for the last year or so. While Head Coach Mike Norvell has had some recruiting wins, he has also had many losses. A big reason for that is the poor play on the field. We’re seeing that start to play out more and more.
Just recently, the Seminoles were not only in the running for an elite recruit, but it felt they had the win wrapped up. At the last second, things changed, and they lost the battle. Last week, FSU lost out on four-star cornerback Chase Johnson. He ended up choosing Virginia Tech over FSU and Georgia. Not too long ago, Johnson was telling everyone FSU was leading the race.
“Right now I say they’re number one,” Johnson told Warchant.com. “They showed me around, I could tell they really wanted me more,” Johnson said. “They showed me a lot of love back then. But I can tell — Coach Ris [Devin Rispress] showed me around really good — it was a nice experience.”
Johnson was also heavily recruited by Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, Miami, Oregon, and Penn State. The 5’11, 170-pound corner back has traits that a ton of blue blood programs really want, including Florida State. However, FSU just couldn’t close the deal again.
Seminoles recruiting seems to be getting worse each year, with Mike Norvell as the head coach
Things haven’t been the same since the Seminoles ‘ magical 2023 season. They won 13 games and have had a healthy starting quarterback. You could argue they would’ve won the National Championship. Following that great season, the Seminoles recruited a top-12 class for 2024. It was looking like the only way to go was up. We couldn’t have been any more wrong; the Seminoles only won two games the next year.
Seminoles’ recruiting rankings by year
- 2024: 12th
- 2025: 20th
- 2026: 15th (6 commits)
After that terrible season, FSU finished with a 20th-ranked recruiting class for 2025. Their 2026 was a bit better, finishing 15th. However, their 2027 class is currently ranked 36th, with just 6 total commits. Now, there is still a lot of time before National Signing Day, but alot of the top teams in the class already have at least 20 commitments.
Norvell has had some really great moments as the Seminoles’ head coach. But he has also had some really bad moments. If the 2026 season is bad for FSU, we could see a new coach taking the reins in 2027. And then, most of this recruiting stuff could mean absolutely nothing. That is likely why Johnson ultimately decided not to go to FSU.