Florida State Seminoles have signed 41 blue-chip recruits from 2020 to 2025, but only four have started at least 12 games. The overall production from these recruits has been disappointing, with more than half never starting a game.
Key points
Florida State signed 41 blue-chip recruits from 2020 to 2025
Only four recruits have started at least 12 games
Total of 29 games started by blue-chip quarterbacks
More than half of the recruits have never started a game
Blue-chip recruits filled about 8% of necessary starts
Florida State Seminoles running back Ousmane Kromah (32) runs with the ball Thursday, April 9, 2026. | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Baseball
No. 8 Florida State swept Notre Dame to close a perfect 4-0 homestand, winning 11-0 on Friday, 9-7 on Saturday and 6-4 on Sunday — the Seminoles’ second series sweep in six ACC weekends:
No. 12 Florida State softball swept North Carolina to close out Senior Weekend, winning 8-4 on Friday, clinching the series Saturday and run-ruling the Tar Heels 10-2 on Sunday to improve to 39-7 on the season:
— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU\_Softball) April 19, 2026
Football
Florida State wrapped up spring camp with the quarterback competition unresolved, and TN took a closer look at what the 15 practices revealed — and left unanswered — heading into fall:
David Hale took a look at FSU football recruiting in the Norvell era and the results are uh, not good:
Q&A
How many blue-chip recruits has Florida State signed from 2020 to 2025?
Florida State has signed 41 blue-chip recruits during that period.
What is the total number of games started by FSU's blue-chip quarterbacks?
The blue-chip quarterbacks have started a total of 29 games, with only two wins against FBS competition.
How many of the blue-chip recruits have started at least 12 games at FSU?
Only four of the 41 blue-chip recruits have started at least 12 games at Florida State.
What percentage of necessary starts have FSU's blue-chip recruits filled?
FSU's blue-chip recruits have filled about 8% of the program's necessary starts over six years.
Related Articles
MLB·Preview
Free agent pickups: Need some pitching? Look to Twins and Astros
Looking for pitching help? Check out Mick Abel of the Twins for Week 4!
ESPN News··1 min read
NFL·Feature
'It's his superpower': Inside Fernando Mendoza's extraordinary rise to No. 1
Fernando Mendoza is poised to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft after leading Indiana to its first national championship. His impressive performance at the combine has solidified his status as a top prospect.
ESPN News··1 min read
Soccer·Recap
Is the Premier League now Man City's to lose? PLUS: Bayern clinch Bundesliga, more
Man City beats Arsenal to lead Premier League; Bayern wins Bundesliga
ESPN News··1 min read
Sports
List of Jaguars' 2026 NFL draft picks and top positions of need
Jaguars' 2026 NFL Draft: Picks and Positional Needs Overview
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
Soccer
Premier League legend weighs in on whether fans should blame Rosenior or Chelsea project
Alan Shearer weighs in on whether to blame Rosenior or Chelsea's project for struggles.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
NFL
Will Jeremiyah Love still be on board when Titans pick? Latest rumor says maybe not
Latest rumors suggest Titans could lose out on Jeremiyah Love if Cardinals pick him at No. 3.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Since 2020, when he arrived, he’s inked seven high school QBs (all rankings via 247).
Those seven QBs — and apologies to Jaden O’Neal, who just arrived — have started a grand total of 29 games in their careers. That’s it. Six QBs with at least a year of playing eligibility and they’ve managed to start just 29 games. Not at FSU. At any school.
Of those 29 starts, 25 have come against FBS competition. Of those 25 games… how many do you think they’ve won?
Two wins total. A combined career record of 2-23.
And those two wins? Tate Rodemaker vs. Florida in 2023 and Brock Glenn vs. Louisville a week later.
At FSU, Norvell has signed 41 blue-chip recruits out of high school from 2020 through 2025. That averages out to about seven a year, which is below what you’d expect from a place like FSU but, in the portal era, it’s not exactly a problematic number if you’re adding blue-chip transfer talent, too.
How many, of the 41 blue-chippers FSU’s signed between 2020 and 2025 have started at least 12 games so far?
Four.
Of those 41 players, more than half (23) have never started a game at FSU.
Considering there are 22 players on the field over six years, that means FSU’s *blue-chip recruits* — the guys with the highest expected ROI — have filled a grand total of about 8% of the program’s necessary starts.
Basketball
Florida State added a fifth transfer portal commit over the weekend, landing 6-foot-11 Colorado forward Sebastian Rancik over Kentucky:
Florida State women’s basketball also added Georgia transfer Savannah Henderson to its 2026-27 signing class on Saturday:
A forward, Henderson will join the Seminoles as a redshirt senior for the 2026-27 season after transferring from Georgia. “We are excited to welcome Savannah to Florida State,” Wyckoff said. “Her length and versatility impacts the game on both ends of the floor. She has elite-level experience and toughness that we’re excited to have on the roster. Savannah has a great work ethic and we look forward to her development while she helps push our program forward.”
During her redshirt junior season with the Bulldogs, Henderson appeared in 28 games, starting six and averaged 18.8 minutes per game. Henderson continued to improve throughout the season after sitting out the 2024-25 season due to injury. She had a career day against Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament where she scored 11 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and registered three steals.
Henderson helped Georgia to a 22-10 record, including three wins over top 20 opponents. After suffering a season-ending injury as a freshman just four games into the season, she participated in 15 games, accruing 33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and five steals in 2023-24. Notable performances included scoring six points against Wofford and a season-high nine points at South Carolina.
Before her college career, Henderson was a consensus top 50 national prospect. She was rated the No. 41 overall prospect and the No. 10 wing player nationally by ESPN. Her high school achievements at Timber Creek High School include leading the team to three consecutive district championships and a Final Four appearance in Florida’s Class 7A state tournament. Henderson finished her high school career as Timber Creek’s all-time leading scorer with 1,094 career points.
A native of Orlando, she is the daughter of Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who spent 21 seasons as a NCAA Division I women’s basketball head coach. Her father, Mike played collegiate basketball at Long Island University and was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Henderson joins Joy Egbuna, Chamiah Francis, Asia Lee, Kennedy Loux, Missy Odom, and Morgan Stewart in the signing class.
NEWS: Vanderbilt transfer Aga Makurat has committed to Florida State.
— FSU Seminoles (@Seminoles) April 19, 2026Florida State men’s tennis saw its ACC Championship run end Friday with a 4-3 loss to No. 17 Stanford, after beating No. 62 Louisville and No. 5 NC State in the first two rounds:
In doubles, Stanford took the early lead with a pair of wins on courts one and two. Court three finished first as Gabor Hornung and Luis Felipe Miguel concluded the tournament with three straight wins at the third position, defeating Samir Banerjee and Jagger Leach 6-2. Stanford’s Nicholas Godsick and Hudson Rivera leveled the doubles competition on court two with a 6-3 win over Justin Lyons and Mohammad Alkotop. The outcome ultimately hinged on the top court, where the Seminoles pushed the match to a tiebreaker but came up short, allowing Stanford to take a 1-0 lead into singles play.
The Cardinal quickly took a 2-0 lead when Alex Chang earned a default victory over Alkotop on court five. No. 121 Erik Schiessl showed dominance on court three defeating Godsick in a two-set triumph. Stanford continued to respond to the pressure after landing its second victory in singles over Corey Craig in a three-set match to take a 3-1 lead.
Azariah Rusher then stamped a two-set victory on court four after defeating Rivera 7-6 (7), 6-3, before Hornung won a three-set match on court six that tied the contest, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3. At the top spot, Alexander Razeghi won the first set against No. 118 Felipe Miguel, 6-4, before the Seminole senior evened the match with a 7-5 win in set two. In the pivotal third set, Felipe Miguel took a 3-1 lead before Razeghi ran off five consecutive game wins for the 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory to advance the Cardinal to the semifinals.
Florida State women’s tennis also fell in the ACC Championship third round Friday, losing 4-2 to No. 21 Cal:
The Seminoles picked up a doubles win on Court 3 and singles victories on Courts 4 and 6, while pushing Courts 1, 2 and 5 to three sets.
Mary Boyce Deatherage and Cade Cricchio secured Florida State’s lone doubles win, defeating Sophie Hernandez and Millie Johanna Moerk 7-6(2). The pair finished the season with a team-high 13 victories. Cal claimed the doubles point with wins on Courts 1 and 2 to take a 1-0 lead.
For the second consecutive match, Laura Putz delivered the first singles point for the Seminoles, dominating Court 4 with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Moerk to even the score at 1-1. Cal responded with a victory on Court 3 to regain a 2-1 advantage.
Cade Cricchio battled back on Court 6 after dropping the opening set 6-1, winning the next two sets 6-1, 6-3 to tie the match at 2-2. Florida State fought hard on the top courts. On Court 1, Eva Shaw dropped the first set 6-4 to No. 34 Johanne Svendsen before rallying to win the second set 6-3 and force a third. Svendsen secured the match with a 6-2 win in the final set.
On Court 2, Deatherage faced No. 16 Berta Passola Folch. After falling 6-3 in the first set, Deatherage answered with a 6-3 second-set win before narrowly dropping the final set 6-4. Deatherage held a 40-40 point opportunity to extend the match, but Folch held on to clinch the 4-2 victory for Cal. Abby Kelliher was leading 5-0 in the third set on Court 5 when the match was decided.
No. 5 Florida State beach volleyball went 4-0 at the Gulf Front Invitational in Clearwater Beach over the weekend, defeating Mercer, FGCU, USF and No. 13 LSU:
The Noles defeated South Florida 5-0 to begin day two, marking the inaugural meeting between the programs. FSU went up 2-0 thanks to Iane Henke and Kenzie Hultquist on court two, who recorded the second point at 21-11, 21-9. It was Gella Andrew and Maddie Trusty who secured the sweep at 21-19, 21-18 on court three.
Day two ended with a ranked matchup against No. 13 LSU, who the Seminoles beat 5-0 to record their 16th complete dual sweep of 2026. Audrey Koenig and Alexis Durish made quick work on court one with a dual win at 21-16, 21-10.
No. 22/25 Florida State track and field competed at the Tom Jones Memorial Invite in Gainesville over the weekend, with Shenese Walker posting a personal-best 10.80 in the 100 meters — second in the world and the NCAA this season, and a new program and ACC record — while Nafy Thiam broke the FSU shot put record on Friday:
Walker competed in the primetime event of the women’s 100-meters, placing second behind a massive personal best at 10.80 which stands as the second-fastest time in the world and NCAA this season. Walker’s time also sets both a new program and ACC record, while also ranking fifth all-time in collegiate history and eighth in Jamaican history.
Shamar Reid participated in the men’s discus throw, placing second with a new personal best and remaining at second all-time in FSU history at 63.10 meters. Kyvon Tatham competed in the men’s triple jump for the first time this season, finishing in fourth with a mark of 16.20 meters. Neo Mosebi highlighted the men’s short sprints after placing in the top 10 of the 100, crossing the line in seventh at 10.09.
Zach Extine finished with the fifth-fastest qualifying time in the men’s 110 hurdles, before finishing fourth in the finals with a time of 13.48. Kayla Pinkard finished in the top three of the women’s triple jump, finishing in third at 12.98 meters. Avery Cahoon captured a new personal best in the women’s 800 after placing fifth with a time of 2:08.20.
THE 2026 NCAA INDOOR 60-METER NATIONAL CHAMPION CONTINUES TO SHOCK THE WORLD‼️‼️
Shenese Walker storms to a massive personal best in the women's 100 meters with a wind legal time of 10.80!
Program record ✅
ACC record ✅
Second-fastest time in the world 26' ✅
No.5 All-time in… pic.twitter.com/x4mb0cUjwl
— Florida State T&F/XC (@FSU\_Track) April 18, 2026
Congratulations to Shamar Reid on his personal best in the men's discus throw and remaining at No. 2 all-time in FSU history
— Florida State T&F/XC (@FSU\_Track) April 18, 2026No. 16 Florida State women’s golf completed stroke play at the ACC Championship on Friday, with freshman Haruhi Nakatani tying for sixth at 6-under as the team finished 12th in the stroke play standings:
In her first ACC Championship, Haruhi Nakatani posted a final round of 4-under, 68. She carded four birdies on her first nine holes, including three-in-a-row. Nakatani added three more on the back nine and climbed the leaderboard to tie for sixth place, finishing 6-under, 210. Over three rounds, Nakatani led the field in birdies, sinking 18, which were three more than the next player. It was the highest finish for a freshman at the ACC Championship since Frida Kinhult tied for fifth place at the 2019 tournament.
Sophia Fullbrook added a round of 1-under, 71 on Friday, carding three birdies. Fullbrook finished the tournament at 2-over, 218 moving up to tie for 35th. Alexandra Gazzoli and Haley Davis contributed rounds of 3-over, 75. Gazzoli closed the tournament at 8-over, 224. Florida State finished the tournament at 13-over, 877 after turning in a score of 1-over 289 on Friday, which was the team’s lowest of the tournament.
