Florida State’s recruiting board took another hit on Wednesday when four-star cornerback Tae Walden Jr. picked Oregon, shutting down a decision that had the Seminoles hoping to make one more push.
Walden Jr. chose the Ducks over Florida State, LSU, Auburn, Georgia and Ole Miss. He had been on Florida State’s radar for a while, with the Seminoles among the first programs to offer him a scholarship in January of 2025. His most recent trip to Tallahassee came during Florida State’s upset of Alabama last year.
The next big checkpoint was supposed to be an official visit in October, but that trip now feels far from certain. Florida State will try to keep the door open, though the commitment gives Oregon the early edge.
Walden Jr. brings a loaded résumé from his junior year at Collierville High School. On defense, he posted 28 tackles, five interceptions and 17 pass deflections. He also made his presence felt as a receiver, catching 42 passes for 912 yards and 10 touchdowns.
His value didn’t stop there. Walden Jr. added more than 500 yards on kickoff and punt returns, showing the kind of all-around production that made him such a coveted target. He broke up at least one pass in nine of his 11 games and came away with interceptions in four different contests, including two picks in a 39-35 win over Horn Lake High School on September 5.
At 6-foot-2.5 and 165 pounds, Walden Jr. is ranked by the 247Sports Composite Ratings as the No. 70 overall prospect, the No. 6 ATH and the No. 4 recruit in Tennessee in the 2027 class.
The loss also leaves Florida State with a thinner look in the secondary for #Tribe27. The Seminoles had entered the spring with pledges from four-star safety Mekhi Williams, three-star cornerback DaYon Cooper and three-star safety Jemari Foreman, but Williams and Cooper both backed off their commitments. That leaves Foreman as the lone defensive back currently in the class.
Florida State now has 13 verbal commitments in #Tribe27, a group that sits at No. 57 nationally.
In Other News...
One National Take Has Florida State Fans Bracing For A Reset
A national conversation around Florida State has turned back to 2026, and not in a way that should make Seminoles fans comfortable. Josh Pate took a skeptical view of the programs outlook, pointing to the combination of a punishing early schedule and lingering uncertainty at quarterback as reasons the next season could start with more questions than answers.
For a fan base already carrying the weight of recent disappointment under Mike Norvell, the backdrop matters as much as the forecast. Florida State has won just seven games over the past two seasons, and the broader concern now is whether the Seminoles can show enough traction early against a slate that includes major tests before September ends and a string of difficult ACC matchups beyond that. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Norvell Finally Has Proof He Got These FSU Evaluations Right
Mike Norvells latest evaluation win came before the 2027 cycle has even settled in, with blue-chip defensive lineman Sam LeJeune joining a class that still needs help climbing the rankings. It is a useful reminder of how much the Florida State coach has leaned on recruiting conviction since 2020, when the Seminoles were trying to rebuild both the roster and the programs credibility on the trail.
The payoff has started to show up in more than just commitments. Mandrell Desir turned into a Freshman All-American and became a disruptive force off the edge, Micahi Danzys move from running back to wide receiver has given FSU a big-play option, and Joshua Farmers path to the league only added to the growing list of Norvell signees who have backed up the scouting reports. Ja'Khi Douglas gave the offense steadiness in 2024, too, which is why the next question matters so much: whether Norvell can keep turning those evaluations into the kind of star power that changes the programs ceiling. [Read more 🡒]