Of the 32 high-school signees in Florida State’s 2026 recruiting class, a number of them can make a legitimate claim of having garnet and gold in their blood.
Three of the Seminoles’ 2026 signees are the sons of former Florida State football players. They’ll now be following in their father’s footsteps in Tallahassee after making it official last week.
This includes four-star receiver Devin Carter (son of Dexter), three-star tight end Corbyn Fordham (son of Todd) and three-star offensive lineman Michael
Ionata (son of Joey).
It’s far from a new thing Mike Norvel has navigated during his tenure. This past season alone, he brought in USC transfer receiver Duce Robinson (son of Dominic) and true freshman defensive back AJ Cromartie (son of Antonio).
And yet, this is certainly the largest legacy group FSU has signed under Norvell. And one could imagine, one of the largest legacy signing classes any school has ever brought in.
To Norvell, recruiting these players is a delicate balance. First off, he has to make sure they’re worthy of consideration more reasons than the name on the back of their jerseys.
”They have to earn the opportunity. There’s plenty of past players that have sons that play football, but you’ve got to find the ones that fit the program, that fit a need that we have,“ Norvell said last week when discussing FSU’s 2026 class. ”Guys that, with everything in their experience, have opened that door for themselves. We really have tried to to meet them at where they are. You take the dads out of the equation.”
None of these legacy recruiting conversations went on longer than Carter’s. Norvell recalled him as an eighth-grader during one of FSU’s summer camps for football prospects. The youngster had aspirations of following in his father’s footsteps. Dexter Carter was a standout running back and track and field sprinter from 1986-89, rushing for 1,788 yards and 17 touchdowns before a seven-year NFL career during which he won a Super Bowl with San Francisco.
Devin Carter committed to Florida State in June of 2023, just before his sophomore season of high school. But he decommitted the following January and committed to Auburn in January of 2025. FSU stayed in his mind, though, and he flipped to the Seminoles shortly after his official visit June and stayed loyal to that second pledge.
In Carter, who had 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns over his last two seasons in high school, Norvell believes he has a legacy who also can become quite a player for the Seminoles.
“Seeing him now, the player he is, I think he’s as good as there is out there. He is,” Norvell said. “To know the process of that, the strengths, the areas that are going to take immediate development, it’ll be a part of the journey.”
Joey Ionata played 39 games on the FSU offensive line between 1984-88, earning an All-American honorable mention in his final season. While his first son, Joseph, chose Alabama over Florida State, Michael felt the call to Tallahassee.
The same is true for Todd Fordham, who played 33 games on FSU’s offensive line between 1994-96. His older son, Caden, chose NC State, where he led all Power Four defenders in tackles this season with 130. Corbyn, though, similarly to Devin Carter and Michael Ionata, felt the call to become Seminoles.
Norvell believes when that lifelong passion for Florida State is paired with Florida State being the right fit for these legacies, special things can happen.
“You can be a fan of the place, you make sure it’s the right fit for you. If that all comes together for us and for you, well, now we’ve got a chance to do something special,” Norvell said. “Because I know it’s in your blood, I know that it’s something that it means something to you beyond just here’s a logo of a school. I’m just grateful that our paths brought us together and that it was the right fit on both sides. I think we’ve got some special players in that group that are legacies of Florida State and definitely are going to work to represent this program the right way.“
There are also two brothers of Seminoles in the signing class in three-star receiver Jonah Winston (brother of Jameis) and three-star linebacker Noah LaVallee (brother of Caleb, who transferred in from UNC ahead of the 2025 season).
That’s another angle entirely, especially for Winston, who becomes a bit of an immediate celebrity in Tallahassee because of what his brother accomplished here.
One would imagine, though, that the same rules from Norvell applies for these fraternal legacies. They’re here because the coach believes in their capability.
