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Nov 4, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; A Florida State Seminoles helmet on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Top FSU football target backs off pledge, reopens recruitment

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Dustin Lewis | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Florida State is still in the hunt to add a top-100 recruit to its #Tribe26 class.

There are a couple of options that the Seminoles are closing in on.

On Tuesday evening, four-star cornerback CJ Bronaugh backed off his longtime pledge to Nebraska, re-opening his recruitment. Bronaugh was in Tallahassee for an official visit last weekend. He also saw Florida a few weeks ago.

The Seminoles and the Gators are the two teams at the top of the list to land Bronaugh. However, Florida may currently hold the edge over Florida State. Billy Napier has beaten Mike Norvell in multiple recruiting battles this month.

BREAKING: Four-Star CB CJ Bronaugh has Decommitted from Nebraska, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’1 175 CB from Winter Garden, FL had been Committed to the Cornhuskers since November

He currently holds a total of 30 Offershttps://t.co/eeiM1FyoY5 pic.twitter.com/mKmNcAHQg2
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 18, 2025

The Florida native has held an offer from Florida State for over a year. Defensive coordinator Tony White, defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr., and safeties coach Evan Cooper went out to meet with Bronaugh back in April.

Bronaugh is coming off a junior season where he totaled 30 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, four pass deflections and six interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.

The 6-foot-1, 166-pound defensive back is regarded as the No. 99 overall prospect, the No. 12 CB, and the No. 12 recruit in Florida in the 2026 class according to the 247Sports composite ratings.

Florida State holds 14 verbal commitments in its 2026 class which ranks No. 19 in the country. The Seminoles previously landed four-star safety Darryl Bell III, four-star safety Tedarius Hughes, and three-star cornerback Sean Johnson.