Florida State’s recruiting problems have gone well beyond the national stage, and the latest setback only sharpens the point. The Seminoles are still chasing elite classes under Mike Norvell, but the more frustrating trend has been much closer to home: Tallahassee-area prospects keep slipping away.
That issue showed up again Thursday when four-star cornerback Kahmaree Crumity cut his list to 10 schools, and Florida State was not among them. Miami and Clemson made the group, along with UCLA, Ole Miss, Indiana, Louisville, Notre Dame, Auburn, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.
Crumity’s omission stings even more because he plays at Lincoln High School, just down the road from Florida State. He also transferred there from Gadsden County High School, a program with a direct connection to FSU’s director of recruiting, Devin Rispress.
The Seminoles did get Crumity on campus plenty of times. He has visited Florida State at least nine times in a little more than a year, including five trips since the calendar turned to 2026. Still, that wasn’t enough to get the program into his top 10.
Crumity’s production backs up the attention he’s getting. During his sophomore season at Gadsden County, he posted 33 tackles, six pass deflections and one interception, then earned first-team All-Big Bend honors. The 6-foot-0, 173-pound defensive back is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 322 overall prospect, the No. 34 cornerback and the No. 49 player in Florida in the 2028 class.
Florida State has had a few wins on the local trail. The Seminoles landed four-star athlete Micahi Danzy from Florida High a few years ago, and in the 2026 class they signed four-star running back Amari Thomas from Blountstown, three-star defensive end Cam Brooks from Thomasville, three-star offensive lineman Jakobe Green from Havana, and three-star linebacker Jayden Green from Havana.
But the misses keep piling up. Earlier this summer, Clemson came into town and landed five-star wide receiver Jamarin Simmons, and the Tigers were able to build a stronger relationship with him than Florida State did.
The list of local prospects who have gone elsewhere under Norvell is long. It includes five-star linebacker Raylen Wilson to Georgia in 2023, five-star safety Terrion Arnold to Alabama in 2021, four-star defensive back Makari Vickers to Oklahoma in 2023, four-star defensive end Jalen Wiggins to Florida in 2025, four-star safety Ahmari Harvey to Auburn in 2021, three-star defensive back Ashton Hampton to Clemson in 2024, three-star defensive back Tre Donaldson to Auburn in 2022, and three-star tight end Sage Ennis to Clemson in 2020.
Florida State currently has one verbal commitment in #Tribe28, a class that sits at No. 127 nationally. Wide receiver Lamar Garrison was once pledged to the Seminoles, but he reopened his recruitment in February.
In Other News...
Three FSU Freshmen Are Already Making The Rotation Debate Real
Florida States 2026 class arrived with the kind of defensive emphasis that always invites a little early speculation about who might crack the depth chart first. The Seminoles signed the No. 17 recruiting class in the country, landing a group that includes Chauncey Kennon, Franklin Whitley, Izayia Williams, Earnest Rankins, Jalen Anderson and Jaemin Pinckney, and the early buzz around the room has centered less on long-term upside than on which newcomers can help soonest.
Mike Norvell has already made it clear that some freshmen are going to see the field, with the first path likely coming on special teams before bigger roles open up. That is where the rotation debate starts to get interesting, because Florida State has a few young defenders who fit the kind of profile that can push for more than developmental reps, especially as the staff sorts out how quickly those pieces can be trusted in real game situations. [Read more 🡒]
Peter Boulware Still Defines The Standard For Florida State Defenders
Peter Boulware remains one of the easiest names to bring up when Florida State starts talking about defensive standards. Recruited by Bobby Bowden, he turned into a program-defining pass rusher in Tallahassee, setting the schools single-season sack record and piling up the kind of honors that still give his name real weight around the program. His rise from Seminole standout to first-round NFL pick only added to the legend, and his place in both the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame and the Ravens Ring of Honor keeps him visible in two football worlds.
For a program trying to reclaim its edge, Boulware is more than a nostalgic reference point. He is still the measuring stick for what a difference-making defender looks like at Florida State, especially when the discussion turns to players who can change the tone of a season. That is why his name keeps coming back whenever the Seminoles are looking for the next defensive leader to emerge, and why the comparison carries so much weight even now. [Read more 🡒]