Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell reacts before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Seminoles crack top five for elite four-star linebacker

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Dustin Lewis | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Florida State is closing in on one of its top linebacker targets in the 2026 class.

Over the weekend, four-star linebacker Rodney Colton Jr. was in Tallahassee for his official visit and the Seminoles earned high remarks.

On the first day of the trip, Colton Jr. cut his recruitment down to five. FSU made the cut alongside Colorado, Penn State, UCLA, and Ole Miss. There was some confusion at first but Tennessee has officially been eliminated from contention.

Colton Jr. has already visited Florida State, Penn State, and UCLA. He will be at Ole Miss and Colorado later this month.

UPDATE: Just spoke with Colton and he told me he mistakenly replaced Tennessee for Penn State.

His Top 5 is as follows: Colorado, Florida State, Penn State, UCLA, & Ole Miss

Colton, a former South Carolina commit, will announce his commitment on August 9th
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 7, 2025

The Georgia native picked up an offer from Florida State in January. He dropped by campus in April to meet with the coaching staff and watch a spring practice. Colton Jr. was previously committed to South Carolina from April of 2024 to January of 2025.

During his junior season at Newnan High School, Colton Jr. totaled 51 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble, one interception, and a blocked kick. He posted five games of 5+ tackles and notched a sack in six different contests.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker is regarded as the No. 239 overall prospect, the No. 15 LB, and the No. 23 recruit in Georgia in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.

Florida State holds ten verbal commitments in its 2026 class which ranks No. 24 in the country. The Seminoles previously landed three-star linebacker Karon Maycock.

Colton Jr. is one of the names to know at the position alongside five-star Xavier Griffin, four-star TJ White, three-star DQ Forkpa Jr., and three-star Adam Balogaun-Ali.