FSU Football Misses On Two More Blue-Chip Recruiting Targets
The Florida State Seminoles kicked off their slate of summer official visits last weekend. While the period did result in one commitment, the Seminoles also lost their top pledge in #Tribe27.
As the early waves of June heat arrive in Tallahassee, head coach Mike Norvell and his staff have plenty to sweat about. Florida State is struggling on the recruiting trail, dropping out of the top-50 in the class rankings.
READ MORE: Florida State's Top Commitment Reopens Recruitment
Though the Seminoles have aspirations of turning things back around this summer, that's becoming more and more unlikely. As Florida State has faltered, other programs around the country are slowly picking through the board of targets.
Two more blue-chip recruits recently made their decisions, and they didn't pick Florida State. To make matters worse, the pair will become rivals of the Seminoles in the near future.
Pair Of Four-Star Recruits Choose Clemson Over Florida State, Others
On Monday, four-star defensive end Desmond Malpress and four-star JJ Brown both announced their commitments to Clemson.
Malpress chose the Tigers over Florida State, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Syracuse.
The Seminoles offered Malpress in October of last year. He was on campus for a junior day in January and viewed a spring practice in April. Malpress was expected to officially visit Florida State later this month, but that trip is now off the table.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound defensive end is regarded as the No. 147 overall prospect, the No. 16 EDGE, and the No. 15 recruit in Florida in the 2027 class according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings.
Brown ended up in Orange as well, picking the program over Florida State, Georgia, Auburn, and Florida.
FSU wasn't considered a major contender going into his announcement, as he had yet to set up an official visit. Either way, the offensive tackle spot is critical for the Seminoles right now because the board is extremely thin.
The 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive lineman is regarded as the No. 328 overall prospect, the No. 32 OT, and the No. 35 recruit in Georgia in the 2027 class according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings.
Malpress and Brown are part of a group of eight recruits who have picked Clemson instead of Florida State over the last three weeks, joining four-star defensive lineman Santana Harvey, four-star offensive lineman Elijah Morrison, four-star wide receiver Jamarin Simmons, four-star running back Gary Walker, four-star offensive lineman Carter Jones, and three-star tight end Carter Blackwell.
Information On Florida State's 2027 Class
Florida State holds seven verbal commitments in #Tribe27, which ranks No. 51 in the country.
Who Is Committed To FSU In The 2027 Class?
Three-Star QB Logan Flaherty
Three-Star TE Connor Winn
Three-Star DE Anthony Cavallaro
Three-Star DL Eric Vaulx Jr.
Four-Star LB Gregory Batson
Three-Star DB Jemari Foreman
Three-Star DB DaYon Cooper
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/fsu as FSU Football Misses On Two More Blue-Chip Recruiting Targets.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM.