Florida State is trying to get in early on a quarterback whose stock could move fast, but the Seminoles have some real work to do to stay in the hunt.
Zach Blostein of 247Sports reported that Florida State is among the schools tracking Sarasota (Fla.) QB Hudson West. The list around him also includes Florida, North Carolina and Georgia Tech, so this is already shaping up as a competitive recruitment.
West has been clear about what matters most to him, and that puts the spotlight on the part of the process Florida State has to win first.
"My biggest thing is definitely going to be relationships. That's what's going to be the deciding factor for me."
That kind of answer matters for the Seminoles because their pitch is being made in a tricky moment. Mike Norvell’s future in Tallahassee is uncertain, and that creates obvious noise around recruiting. Florida State already has 13 commits in the 2027 class, but the program is hoping for better results with the 2028 group.
Norvell’s track record in the state of Florida is another issue hanging over this pursuit. One of the knocks on him has been his inability to consistently land in-state recruits, and that’s part of the challenge here. Florida State has to convince West, or another Florida quarterback like three-star Brady Quinn from Chaminade-Madonna, that Tallahassee is the right place for development.
There is at least one reason the Seminoles can still sell this aggressively: John Garrett. Even if Norvell is viewed as a lame duck head coach, Garrett’s role as general manager of player personnel gives Florida State a figure who can help build the kind of relationship West says he wants.
Money may not be the separator, either. West has made it known that this decision is not about NIL, which gives Florida State a cleaner shot against schools that may have more financial firepower to offer.
That leaves the Seminoles needing to do what West says will matter most - make him feel comfortable, safe and confident that the program is the best place for his development. If Florida State can do that better than the rest of the field, it will stay very much in the mix.
West is currently a zero-star recruit, but his production suggests he could rise quickly. As a sophomore in 2025, he threw for 2,836 yards with 26 touchdown passes and five interceptions.
For Florida State, West joins a 2028 quarterback board that also includes Quinn and four-star Chandler Dyson. The Seminoles are in the market, but this one could come down to whether their relationships can overcome the uncertainty around the program.
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Mike Norvell Pressure At Florida State Just Hit A New Level
Mike Norvells run at Florida State still carries the memory of 2023, when he guided the Seminoles to a 13-1 record and an ACC championship, but that success now feels increasingly distant. The conversation around the program has shifted hard in the other direction, with the Seminoles recent slide putting a very different kind of spotlight on the coach who once looked like he had the whole thing pointed back up.
Florida States on-field struggles have been paired with recruiting concerns that only add to the unease, as the 2027 class sits at No. 59 nationally and does not yet look like the kind of group that can quickly reset the trajectory. Even among ACC coaches, Norvell is being viewed through a harsher lens now, and the longer the results lag behind the standard he set, the harder it becomes to ignore the pressure building around him. [Read more 🡒]
Can FSU Finally Trust Its Linebackers In Year Two Under Norvell
Florida States linebacker room looks a lot different heading into the second year of the 3-3-5, and that is by design. The Seminoles have turned to transfers Ernie Sims, Chris Jones and Mikai Gbayor while also keeping a core that includes Blake Nichelson, Omar Graham Jr., Caleb LaVallee and AJ Cottrill, with freshman Izayia Williams adding another layer of competition. After a season of shuffling and uneven play at the position, the hope is that a cleaner fit in the scheme and a deeper group will finally give the defense more stability in the middle.
Jones arrives with a strong track record from Southern Miss, while Gbayor brings familiarity with Tony White after previous stops and a productive year at Nebraska. LaVallees return from a leg injury should matter too, because Florida State needs bodies it can trust, not just names on the depth chart. The bigger question is whether all of those pieces can settle in quickly enough to make the linebacker spot a strength instead of a weekly concern, especially with so much riding on how the new-look group handles the demands of year two. [Read more 🡒]