Brysen Wright’s announcement ceremony did more than reveal where one of Florida’s top receivers is headed. It put Florida State’s recruiting problem on full display.
Before the Mandarin High School five-star wideout stepped up to commit to Miami and reclassify to the 2027 class, the setup told its own story. Miami, Florida and Texas were the finalists.
The hats and chains on the table matched those schools. Florida State wasn’t part of the conversation.
That absence says plenty about where the Seminoles stand with the state’s elite talent. Wright’s recruitment was never a fit for every program, but this wasn’t some isolated miss. It was another reminder of how far Florida State has slipped during the now-ended Mike Norvell era.
Over the past five years, Florida State has signed just one player ranked in the top 10 of the USA Today Florida top 100: Chauncey "Chuck" Kennon, who was kicked off the team in October. That means one of the state’s 50 truly elite in-state recruits chose Norvell’s program.
Miami, meanwhile, just added Wright and now owns the top three players in the 2027 USA Today Florida top 100: Columbus athlete Amir Sears, Wright and Carol City wide receiver Nick Lennear. The Hurricanes are also still trying to flip St. Thomas Aquinas offensive tackle Mark Matthews, ranked No. 4, from Texas A&M.
Florida State’s top in-state haul is much thinner. The Seminoles have one commitment from a player ranked in the top 50, Carol City athlete Za'Kari Johnson, who checks in at No.
- Johnson was among the players on campus Sunday when Norvell was fired.
The bigger issue for Florida State is that Wright had little reason to look its way. Mandarin is 9-1 and expected to be the No. 1 seed in its region when the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs begin next week. If Mandarin wins its regional quarterfinal, it will have matched Florida State’s total win count since Wright entered high school.
That’s a brutal number, and it helps explain the recruiting gap. Elite players from winning programs want to see a program winning on the biggest stages, not just hoping to get back there someday. Florida State hasn’t had a winning season since these recruits were in middle school.
Miami can point to being the No. 1 team in the nation heading into this week’s matchup at Notre Dame. Florida can sell recruits on wins over Ole Miss and Texas as proof of momentum. Florida State’s pitch is a lot harder to make.
"We beat Virginia!"
That’s not the same thing.
Then there’s the money. Whenever Miami enters a recruiting battle, NIL inevitably comes up, and it should.
The Hurricanes are spending aggressively, and the source of that spending is an open question in a system with no real teeth. The NCAA and Congress have done nothing to rein it in.
Florida State can complain about it, but that won’t change the market. If the Seminoles want to operate like an elite program again, they have to spend like one. Whatever Florida State put into its 2026 class, Miami has probably spent at least double.
The contrast with Florida is notable too. The Gators didn’t land Wright, but they were a finalist.
In his first year, Jon Sumrall is already drawing praise from recruits for his energy and passion, and his message is landing. He’s building a reputation as a strong recruiter, while Miami’s Mario Cristobal has long been known for relentless work on the trail.
Norvell never signed a recruiting class ranked in the top 10 during his time in Tallahassee.
Sumrall is doing that in his first year in Gainesville.
That’s the kind of gap Florida State has to close. It’s wide right now, but the path back is clear enough: the right coach and a serious NIL commitment can shrink it fast.
In Other News...
FSU Depth Chart Shakeup Raises Big Questions Before Boston College
Florida States updated depth chart ahead of Boston College came with a few notable changes, and the most eye-catching one was at quarterback. Junior Malachi Marshall is no longer listed, leaving Ashton Daniels and Kevin Sperry as the names at the position as the Seminoles keep sorting through their options heading into the matchup.
The changes did not stop there. Duce Robinson is out for the season at wide receiver, which opens the door for Jasen Lopez to move into the starting role and pushes Devin Carter into a backup spot. On defense, Cam Brooks is now the primary backup at defensive end, Deamontae Diggs has shifted inside to defensive tackle, and Daniel Lyons is listed as the starter there with Kevin Wynn sidelined, leaving Florida State with a few more lineup questions than it would prefer this late in the week. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Finally Showed Fight But One Bigger Question Just Started
Florida State finally had a night that looked and felt like a response, beating Boston College 31-24 and giving interim coach Rick Stockstill his first win. The Seminoles had to climb out of a second-quarter deficit to do it, and Amari Thomas was central to the turnaround, punching in two rushing touchdowns while the offense found enough rhythm to stay in the fight. The game also featured a successful fake field goal, a reminder that the staff was willing to lean on creativity to steal momentum when it mattered.
Even with the result in hand, the bigger question for Florida State is what this win actually means going forward. Beating Boston College was a needed step, and the late fourth-quarter finish showed the Seminoles could still make plays under pressure, but one victory does not erase the uncertainty around where this team is headed under Stockstill. The next stretch will tell whether this was a one-off spark or the start of something more stable. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Opens A New Chapter With A Telling Game Day Choice
Saturdays matchup with Boston College arrives with a different feel for Florida State, not just because of the noon kickoff on ACC Network, but because it is the first game since Mike Norvells departure. Rick Stockstill takes over as interim head coach, and the Seminoles enter this one trying to steady things while still leaning on the parts of the roster that have carried them at times this season.
Ashton Daniels gives Florida State a clear offensive centerpiece, with his efficiency and scoring impact standing out on a national level. The defense and special teams have also posted notable statistical achievements, which gives the Seminoles some structure as they move into this new stretch, even if the bigger questions around the program are only beginning to take shape. [Read more 🡒]