Florida State is heading into Saturday’s trip to Miami with another headline it didn’t want: the dismissal of freshman cornerback Chuck Kennon, the highest-rated signee in the Seminoles’ 2026 class.
A university spokesman said Tuesday that Kennon was dismissed for “conduct detrimental to the team,” and he is no longer listed on the official roster. The school did not provide any additional explanation.
The move lands days before Florida State’s matchup with unbeaten Miami and adds to the pressure around a 3-3 team still trying to steady itself under seventh-year coach Mike Norvell.
Kennon arrived with real hype. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound defensive back from Booker High School was Florida State’s only top-100 recruit in the class, and the 247Sports Composite had him at No. 41 overall and No. 3 among cornerbacks nationally. The Seminoles beat out Georgia, Florida, Miami and LSU for his commitment in July 2025.
Even as questions about Norvell’s future swirled during Kennon’s senior season, he stayed locked in on Florida State and spoke plainly about why.
“I’m a Seminole fan at the end of the day. I love Florida State. No matter the coaching staff, I feel like I’d still be where I’m at,” Kennon said.
On the field, though, his freshman role never really got off the ground. Defensive coordinator Tony White said earlier this year Kennon had a path to the rotation, and cornerbacks coach Blue Adams gave him a strong preseason review.
“He’s young, he’s energetic,” Adams said. “Sometimes you’ve got to tell him, ‘Hey, focus up.
We’re going this direction.’ But he’s coachable.
That’s what I like about him.”
But Kennon barely saw the field. He did not dress in early-season games and logged just one snap in Florida State’s 38-7 win over Virginia on Oct. 3.
His departure won’t change much for Saturday’s game plan, but it does strip away a promising long-term piece from a defense that is coming off a rough night in Louisville. Florida State was shredded for 397 rushing yards in last Friday’s 44-20 loss, including 235 yards on 17 carries by Isaac Brown, after the defense had just produced 10 sacks against Virginia - the program’s most since 1997.
“Too many times, we didn’t show the detail, the discipline, the mental toughness that’s necessary on the road. And it starts with me,” Norvell said after the loss.
That defeat pushed the Seminoles further into a road losing streak that dates to 2023 and kept Norvell in the latest college football hot seat index.
Florida State visits Miami on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Miami was one of the schools Kennon turned down before signing with the Seminoles.
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