The clock struck 0:00 and Doak Campbell was rocking, students and fans stormed the field, and the Florida State Seminoles captured the attention of the nation once again. With its 31-17 upset victory over the 8th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, the ‘Noles loudly reintroduced themselves to college football as well as to high school recruits around the nation.
The recruiting landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years but major victories still hold weight, particularly when the losing side
is an international brand. Alabama certainly isn’t the Nick Saban Crimson Tide any longer, as Tommy Castellanos emphatically exposed, but it’s still Alabama. Few were confident in a Seminole victory and aside from our own Frank D Nole, nobody predicted the dominance and resilience displayed by FSU. The new-look Florida State coaching staff spent 2/3 of a year trying to sell recruits and their families (and agents, sigh) on a vision. Like a phoenix, the Seminoles would rise from the ashes of a 2-10 season and ascend back to national relevance. FSU would prove that 2024 was an aberration, and that the journey would start against the Crimson Tide. But words are wind, and plenty of understandable skepticism existed.
Then came Saturday afternoon, and that vision took a major step towards reality.
The 2026 prep recruiting class is nearly finished. Mack Brown’s Texas Longhorns were the prime example of having recruiting classes largely complete prior to the kickoff of the season, and they were much more the exception than the rule. That is no longer the case. The sped-up modern recruiting calendar has dictated that most major programs (aside from those whose head coaches enter Year Zero) enter the season with recruiting classes halfway full at bare minimum.
FSU has some very talented prospects in #Tribe26, including nine players ranked in the composite top 300 and a consensus five-star. 23 high school recruits have given verbal commitments to become Seminoles, with maybe four-to-six more spots available at most. What Mike Norvell orchestrated against Alabama was exactly the kind of boost needed not only to stay in the running (or re-enter the fight) for the whales FSU is chasing to either upgrade or round out the class, but to continue to successfully recruit current pledges.
For example, four-star tight end commit Xavier Tiller is expected to visit Auburn this weekend. Not surprising, since he’s from Alabama and the Tigers were one of his finalists. No one can predict what ultimately happens, but I’ll guarantee you that FSU’s staff feels great about its dominant win over Alabama being on Tiller’s mind while he’s in the Plains instead of an expected loss most predicted. Hugh Freeze is a great salesman but FSU made his job a whole lot harder to try and flip Tiller.
FSU’s class is pretty good, but not great. The Bama upset carries a lot of weight with the aforementioned whales still in contact with Florida State. Four-star linebacker DQ Forkpa, once considered a Florida Gator lock, now has the Seminoles back at the top with serious momentum. Guys like offensive linemen Aaron Thomas (Ohio State), Javeion Cooper (Syracuse), and Johnnie Jones (UCLA), running back Carsyn Baker (Florida), defensive linemen Xavier Griffin and Jamarion Matthews (both Alabama), and others are watching closely. Will they all flip to the garnet and gold? Of course not. But the odds for each of them increased after last weekend, and if FSU keeps this up, don’t be surprised when players previously thought to be unattainable start showing up to Tallahassee for visits. Much has been written about the TV ratings for the game, and not only did recruits across the nation witness the dominance, so too did commissioners for the Big Ten and SEC.
As good as this is for the 2026 class, the ripple effects are even larger for the classes of 2027 and 2028. Dozens and dozens of prospects were on hand for the upset and got to experience Doak Campbell Stadium at its best version of itself. FSU’s standing for numerous talented prospects rocketed, and the Seminoles are once again being mentioned with consistent heavyweight recruiting programs for many top talents. For a head coach who has often struggled with prep recruiting and evaluation during his time in Tallahassee, this momentum on the trail is an enormous opportunity. It’s up to the ‘Noles to capitalize.
