FSU Football Battling SEC For Blue-Chip Recruit
The Florida State Seminoles are involved in a few major recruiting battles as the shades of summer begin to arrive in Tallahassee.
Throughout the offseason, the Seminoles injected life into their linebacker room, reshaping the unit with multiple incoming transfers and true freshmen.
READ MORE: Mike Norvell Shares Great News After FSU Football Ends Spring
With Ernie Sims moving into the role of linebackers coach, there's a lot of anticipation surrounding the middle of Florida State's defense. Sims has plenty of talent at his disposal, and he'll need to continue adding to that moving forward.
Florida State Lands Official Visit From Blue-Chip LB
Earlier this month, four-star linebacker and rising senior Frederrick Ford announced his summer official visit schedule.
A trip to Florida State will be sandwiched between visits to Mississippi State and Ole Miss, along with Tennessee and LSU.
Ford has seen his recruitment explode since the beginning of the year, earning numerous P4 and FBS offers. The Seminoles joined the hunt on March 3. Ford made it to campus about a month later for one of the program's early spring practices and to spend time with the coaching staff.
Official Visit Schedule.
- Frederrick Ford 4 (@ford_prodigy) April 14, 2026
May 29th - Mississippi State
June 2nd - Ole Miss
June 5th - Florida State
June 12th - Tennessee
June 19th - LSU@247Sports@gwcommonwealth@GWC_Sports@RivalsHS@On3@TomLoy247@ChadSimmons_@MacCorleone74@LloydWolfe2010@Sports@sixstarfootballpic.twitter.com/kN8NHW2zUC
An intriguing option, Ford brings plenty of athleticism and versatility to the field. He's got a ton of potential as he fills out.
Florida State is taking on the SEC for his services. The Seminoles are the lone ACC program still in the hunt.
During his junior season at Greenwood High School, Ford totaled 60 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, eight pass deflections, and three interceptions.
The 6-foot-5, 190-pound linebacker is regarded as the No. 262 overall prospect, the No. 21 LB, and the No. 9 recruit in Mississippi in the 2027 class according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings.
Information On Florida State's 2027 Class
Florida State holds six verbal commitments in #Tribe27, which ranks No. 28 in the country.
Who Is Committed To FSU In The 2027 Class?
Three-Star TE Connor Winn
Three-Star DE Anthony Cavallaro
Four-Star LB Gregory Batson
Four-Star DB Mekhi Williams
Three-Star DB Jemari Foreman
Three-Star DB DaYon Cooper
Who Does Florida State Have At Linebacker For The 2026 Season?
Omar Graham Jr., Redshirt Senior
Mikai Gbayor, Redshirt Senior
AJ Cottrill, Redshirt Senior
Blake Nichelson, Senior
Caleb LaVallee, Redshirt Junior
Brandon Torrest, Redshirt Junior
Chris Jones, Junior
Chris Thomas, Junior
Ethan Pritchard, Redshirt Freshman
Izayia Williams, Freshman
Karon Mayock, Freshman
Daylen Green, Freshman
Noah LaVallee, Freshman
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/fsu as FSU Football Battling SEC For Blue-Chip Recruit.
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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 7:00 AM.