Recruiting
2027 Florida State verbal commitments
- 3-star tight end Connor Winn (FL)
- 4-star linebacker Gregory Batson (GA)
- 4-star defensive back Mekhi Williams (FL)
- 3-star defensive back Jemari Foreman (FL)
- 4-star defensive lineman Anthony Cavallaro (FL)
Football
Following an impressive all-star circuit that saw him pull off a rare dual Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl showing, Darrell Jackson Jr. has earned an invite to the 2026 NFL Combine.
Jackson earned All-ACC honorable mention honors in 2025 after recording a career-high 45 tackles with three tackles for loss and a sack, finishing his FSU career with 80 tackles (29 solo, 51 assisted) with 7.5 sacks for 32 yards, 4.5 tackles for loss for 27 yards, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery
across 25 games with the Seminoles.
Newcomer interviews continued on Wednesday with Tre Wisner, Rylan Kennedy, EJ White, and Ma’Khi Jones all speaking with the local media:
Basketball
Florida State women’s basketball (8-16, 3-9 ACC) take on the Boston College Eagles (4-22, 0-13 ACC) tonight in Tallahassee at 6 p.m:
The Seminoles hold the series lead 20-3 over the Eagles after winning the previous two contests. FSU has also won four of the last five meetings, including a 63-58 victory at the 2022 ACC Tournament.
Florida State is led by Solè Williams, who is averaging 15.0 points per game, followed by Jasmine Shavers at 12.5.
As a team, FSU is second in the ACC with 8.3 three-pointers per game, led by Shavers who has made 44 this season.
Baseball
Softball
No. 6 FSU softball is set for its annual trip to Clearwater for the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational — the Seminoles will face off against o. 1 Texas Tech on Thursday at 1 p.m., FAU on Friday at 7 p.m., No. 7 UCLA on Saturday at 7 p.m. and No. 3 Tennessee on Sunday at 8 p.m., with the game against the Red Raiders set to be broadcast on ESPN2 and Sunday’s on ESPN:
This week is just the second time that FSU has faced three or more top 10 opponents at the Clearwater Invitational. FSU faced three top 10 teams in Clearwater in 2019 when it faced No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 8 LSU. FSU went 3-0 against those opponents.
FSU has played in the Shriner’s Children’s Clearwater Invitational every year since the tournament started in 2019 and has been one of the most successful teams in the tournament. FSU holds a 20-9 record in the tournament, the most of any team in the country. 12 out of FSU’s 20 wins have come against ranked opponents. FSU has gone undefeated in the tournament three times (2019, 2022, 2025) which is also a tournament record. FSU finished a perfect 4-0 at last year’s tournament outscoring its opponents 42-8.
The top-ranked Red Raiders are 6-0 this season and are coming off a National Championship appearance in 2025. Texas Tech has wins over McNeese State, North Texas, ULM, Providence, Bryant and a ranked win over No. 11 Texas A&M. FSU will be looking for its first regular season win over the No. 1 team in the country since February 7, 2020, when the Noles took down No. 1 Alabama.
Florida Atlantic was the top vote getter outside of the top 25 in this week’s poll. The Owls are 5-0 after rolling through its home tournament with wins over Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Stonehill and Delaware. FAU outscored its opponents 36-11 on opening weekend. In 2025, FAU finished 45-12 but fell in the Gainesville Regional.
The No. 7 UCLA Bruins are coming off a WCWS appearance in 2025 and are off to a 5-0 start in 2026. UCLA has wins over UC Santa Barbara, Northern Colorado, Oregon State, Utah and UC Riverside. The Bruins outscored those opponents 68-6 in those five games.
The No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers are 5-0 with a couple of impressive wins over No. 5 Oregon and Liberty. Tennessee also defeated BYU, Rutgers and Boston College at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater. In 2025, Tennessee finished 47-17 and made it all the way to the National Semifinals but fell to eventual National Champion Texas.
All Sports
Florida State soccer head coach Brian Pensky has announced that Alex Thompson, who served as a video analyst with the Seminoles last season, has earned a promotion and will now serve as an assistant coach:
“If you’re good enough, you’re old enough, and as is the case with players, it’s no different with coaches,” Pensky said. “Alex is really good, and we’re happy to be keeping him in Tallahassee. Alex is a grinder. He’s sharp. He’s humble. He loves our players while holding them to a high standard. Alex has an incredibly bright future ahead of him.”
“I’m extremely grateful to Brian for giving me the opportunity to step into the role of assistant coach,” Thompson said. “I look forward to developing our players to help them get to the next level while competing for and winning trophies.”
As a video analyst with the Seminoles in 2025, Thompson broke down film during and after games and was largely responsible for putting together opposition scouting reports. He also helped to design individual development training sessions for the players.
A 2022 Florida State University graduate, Thompson spent the six years prior to joining the FSU staff as a youth soccer director in Tallahassee.
Originally from England, Thompson grew up in Sarasota, Florida.
