Florida State picked up an unexpected recruiting win Tuesday when 2028 tight end Troy Silberzahn chose the Seminoles over Florida, Miami and a long list of other major programs.
The Melbourne (Fla.) Eau Gallie standout becomes one of just two commitments in FSU’s 2028 class, joining three-star athlete Chayse Brown. He also arrives as the second pledge in a 2028 group that is still taking shape, and that alone makes the commitment notable for a program trying to rebuild its high school pipeline.
Silberzahn, listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, caught only 14 passes for Cocoa High School as a sophomore in 2025, but the profile is easy to see. He projects as a tough cover out of the slot, with enough speed and smoothness to separate from linebackers and enough size and physicality to give defensive backs problems. He should also have a better chance to show that at Eau Gallie after transferring there for his junior season.
The commitment is also the kind of addition that will immediately feed the familiar “three-star Mike” chatter around Mike Norvell. Silberzahn carries a three-star label, and for a fan base that once got used to piling up five-stars during the Jimbo Fisher era, that kind of rating can become its own talking point.
But this one looks bigger as a reflection of the people building the roster behind the scenes, especially newly hired general manager John Garrett. Norvell has not been a consistently aggressive high school recruiter, particularly in Florida, and Florida State’s heavy dependence on the transfer portal left the roster thin underneath the top layer. That approach made the program vulnerable when the portal didn’t deliver.
Still, this commitment isn’t really about Norvell. Even Silberzahn, who told Kolby Crawford of Noles247 that he liked the current staff and pointed to his relationships with tight ends coach Chris Thomsen and assistant wide receivers coach Brady White, has to know the coaching situation could change before he ever signs. The source of the commitment matters here, because a 2028 pledge is a bet on a future that may not include the current head coach at all.
That’s why the real takeaway is Garrett’s plan. The 2028 class is the first place where his long-term approach can start to show itself, and he appears to be targeting high-upside in-state players who fit what Florida State wants to become. Getting Silberzahn to commit this early, with all the uncertainty that surrounds the program, says something about the pitch.
Florida State has mostly taken a selective approach to the 2027 class, with Garrett picking his spots. One of those battles is for four-star Ta’Shawn Poole, who could become the class’s only top-100 commit when he announces Friday. Beyond that, the group has been largely quiet, and the reasons are obvious.
The 2028 class, though, is going to matter. It will matter for the next head coach, and it will matter for Garrett no matter who is on the sideline.
For now, the Seminoles are trying to build around upside, in-state talent and a clearer recruiting vision. Silberzahn’s commitment fits that plan, and getting him on board at all is a win for the people trying to rebuild Florida State’s future.
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Deckerhoff retired from Florida State broadcasts after the 2022 spring game, but he is not done behind a microphone just yet. He will continue calling Tampa Bay Buccaneers games in what he says will be his final season there, while FSU makes room for his name in the stadium where so many of his calls lived. [Read more 🡒]