Florida State Seminoles football misses out on recruiting target at position of need

It's the middle of July and Florida State has still yet to land a defensive end in #Tribe26.

Recruiting along the interior picked up last month as the Seminoles added commitments from four-star Earnest Rankins, four-star Tico Crittendon Jr., four-star Tank Carrington, and three-star Wihtlley Cadeau. However, the growing concern on the edge is something that is difficult to overlook.

FSU has missed out on all of its top targets along with backup plans going elsewhere.

On Saturday, three-star defensive end Katrell Webb announced his commitment to Purdue over Indiana and Florida State. The Seminoles were pursuing Webb quite heavily but it's believed the Boilermakers won out due to their financial commitment in the recruitment.

It's disappointing but at the same time, FSU can't afford to overpay for a prospect who is likely two years away from making a true impact at the college level.

Webb is coming off a productive junior year where he recorded 68 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one pass deflection, and one interception. He also caught two passes for five yards and a touchdown.

The Georgia native had three games with 8+ tackles, including eight tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in a 20-19 victory against Grayson High School on August 16.

Webb plays at Collins Hill High School, the same prep program that former FSU commitment Travis Hunter starred for.

The 6-foot-3, 235-pound defensive end is regarded as the No. 530 overall prospect, the No. 51 EDGE, and the No. 63 recruit in Georgia in the 2026 class according to the 247Sports composite ratings.

Florida State holds 22 verbal commitments in its 2026 class which ranks No. 15 in the country.

Who Is Committed To FSU In The 2026 Class?

Four-Star QB Jaden O'Neal

Four-Star RB Amari Thomas

Four-Star TE Xavier Tiller

Four-Star WR Devin Carter

Four-Star WR Efrem White

Four-Star WR Brandon Bennett

Four-Star WR Jasen Lopez

Four-Star WR Darryon Williams

Three-Star OL Jakobe Green

Three-Star OL Michael Ionata

Three-Star OL Luke Francis

Four-Star DL Earnest Rankins

Four-Star DL James Carrington

Four-Star DL Tico Crittendon Jr.

Three-Star DL Wihtlley Cadeau

Three-Star LB Karon Maycock

Three-Star LB Noah LaVallee

Five-Star DB Chauncey Kennon

Four-Star DB Jay Timmons

Four-Star DB Tedarius Hughes

Four-Star DB Darryl Bell III

Three-Star DB Sean Johnson

Who Does Florida State Have At Defensive End For The 2025 Season?

Redshirt Senior Jaden Jones

Redshirt Senior Deamontae Diggs

Redshirt Junior James Williams

Redshirt Junior Deante McCray

Redshirt Sophomore Grant Fielder

True Freshman Tylon Lee

True Freshman LaJesse Harrold

True Freshman Mandrell Desir

True Freshman Darryll Desir