Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell. Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Florida State finally gets a win, but it's on the recruiting trail

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 9/5/24

It's been a rough few weeks for Florida State football and Seminoles fans everywhere, so it has to feel good for Mike Norvell and his staff to at the very least pick up a big recruiting win.

Whether or not FSU can turn it around on the field this season is an open question, but any future success will come down to the recruiting trail.

As such, it's massive news for the Seminoles that 2026 four-star linebacker Izayia Williams chose them over Florida, USF, UCF and Georgia. Not only is a recruiting win over the Bulldogs a big deal, but beating out three of the four other in-state schools can't be understated in its importance.

Norvell expressed his excitement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter:

Great Day to be a Florida State Seminole!! #BigHitter is coming to #Tribe26 and the #NoleFamily Future is bright in Tallahassee!!!! #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/G56sTymbpr
— Mike Norvell (@Coach_Norvell) September 5, 2024

Williams profiles as a big hitter and as someone who has star potential as a recruit. Yes, he still has his whole junior season and senior season of high school to play, but the rankings are high on him. According to the 247Sports composite, he's the No. 7 linebacker in the 2016 class as well as a top-100 recruit (No. 96) nationally.

Williams must really love FSU, because he was in attendance for the Seminoles' most recent home loss to Boston College, which dropped them to 0-2 on the season.

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