Florida State is on the hunt for its future signal caller and June will be a critical month in the direction they take. When FSU reset its staff, the recruiting board was reset with it. Out went Luke Kromenhoek and soon after Brady Smigel decommitted. Both tabbed the change in the offensive system as the primary reasoning. Whatever the reason, new names needed to be added, and although it meant starting over, it would benefit FSU to find a player who was built for the Malzahn system.
FSU brought in Kevin Sperry as a late flip from Oklahoma for its 2025 class. Early rumblings are that they may have hit on Sperry who flashed eye-catching athleticism in the spring. This is good news considering FSU has yet to find a quarterback commit for 2026. Sperry could provide a formidable stopgap if things don’t go well on the trail. However, after all the disappointment surrounding any quarterback not named Jordan Travis during Mike Norvell’s tenure, and the success they had with him, it feels crucial that they get this right if things are going to work out in the long term.
FSU sent offers to three new quarterbacks after the Smigel decommitment in January (Bowe Bentley, Landon Duckworth, and Keisean Henderson). Since then, Bowe Bentley has moved out of the picture and Jaden O’Neal has entered. All three quarterbacks are due for an official visit to Tallahassee in June, making it a critical month for quarterback recruiting.
Of course, this will likely be a long-term process as recruits will want to see that FSU has turned things around, but now is the time to make an impression. One thing is for sure, despite the disappointing season, FSU is swinging for the fences to find its future quarterback. Landing a big name at quarterback would be a big win on the trail and help bring in other recruits. As much debate as there is around the importance of high school recruiting in the portal era, it still matters, and it matters for the perception of the program. I think FSU needs to land one of these three.
The name garnering the most attention seems to be the best of the three, five-star Keisean Henderson. Henderson, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 185 pounds, is the No. 2 quarterback and the No. 3 overall recruit in the 2026 class according to the 247 Composite. He’s an Elite 11 finalist who can do it all.
Henderson made his name known in recruiting as an exceptional and versatile athlete but has since entrenched himself among the best quarterbacks in the class. He was the Navy All-American Bowl MVP last year and put up great numbers during his junior campaign. Henderson passed for 2,689 yards and 25 touchdowns with a 65.7 completion percentage. He added another 347 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground.
The main issue surrounding his recruitment is that he has been committed to Houston for about a year and has not shown any signs of budging. According to the 247 database, Henderson has not taken a single visit since his commitment. The fact that FSU can get him on campus speaks volumes to the opportunity they have, and Henderson would be a massive flip if they could pull it off. What concerns me is that he hails from Spring, Texas, which is only about 30 minutes from Houston.
Although Houston is a Power 4 school since joining the Big 12, they don’t carry the same cache as Florida State. They have also gone 4-8 the past two seasons, so it’s not like the product on the field has been much better. If things come down to NIL as most do these days, and we can’t out NIL a program like Houston, we have bigger problems. This is one to watch closely and would be a huge momentum boost for a staff trying to establish a new identity.
When FSU reset its recruiting board, Landon Duckworth was the name that stood out. A four-star quarterback ranked No. 6 in the class and a top 50 recruit nationally who was uncommitted and had a history with Gus Malzahn. Many believed that he was a UCF lean while Malzahn was still there.
Duckworth has also committed and decommitted from South Carolina in the past. However, since his ascension up the recruiting boards, other big names are battling for his services. Duckworth currently has two crystal ball predictions to land at Ole Miss and two to rejoin South Carolina’s class.
A true dual-threat, Duckworth would be excellent in Malzahn’s system. He’s also an Elite 11 finalist and put up astounding numbers last season. He threw for 3,439 yards and 39 touchdowns with a 66.7 completion percentage. His legs are equally dangerous, adding 648 yards and 12 touchdowns averaging 10.5 yards per carry! High school competition is clearly different than college, but Duckworth is 33-5 as a starter and there is something to be said about being a proven winner.
Henderson is probably the better all-around player, however, I’d be just as happy to have Duckworth in the fold. Unfortunately, even with the ties to Malzahn, it sounds like he’s headed elsewhere unless they can make a major impression during his official visit. He is also set to visit South Carolina the week before FSU.
The most recent name to enter the FSU recruiting realm is Oklahoma commit Jaden O’Neal. He’s been committed to the Sooners since June of 2024, but interest has picked up between the two parties and he’s set for an official visit in mid-June. O’Neal possesses good size at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, and is a four-star in the 247 Composite, but is a three-star in the 247 Rankings.
He also competed at Elite 11 camps and left a good impression. He is one of the better passers of the group with a big frame and strong arm. O’Neal threw for 2,475 yards with a 61% completion rate and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023. He added 162 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. Scouting reports indicate that he could improve his escapability some, but he’s far from immobile.
Oklahoma is currently battling LSU for 2026 quarterback Bowe Bentley. If the Sooners win that battle, O’Neal will probably become available, and FSU could be in prime position with a good visit in June. This one will depend a lot on how the dominoes fall.
The Noles need a quarterback for 2026, and I haven’t heard any other names mentioned on the recruiting board, so it appears they are all in on landing one of these three. I think it’s critical for the class and perception that they do. This may mean FSU has to “drop a bag” to land one, which some are opposed to for a high school recruit. I would mention that if you want a blue-chip quarterback from the portal, that is going to cost you a pretty penny, too.
Landing a big name out of high school could help build a better class around them and give you time to develop them for when their day comes. Any of these three would be a great fit in the Malzahn offense. Some people roll their eyes when it comes to recruiting under Norvell, but I will remind you that the new staff did land a couple of big-time flips in 2025 (Osumane Kromah from UGA and Tylon Lee from Ole Miss). Maybe Jordan Travis being back in Tallahassee will be the magic that makes it happen…
We’ll be watching these recruitments closely to see what kind of traction FSU can gain in the summer before hopefully selling a turnaround season after a successful campaign in 2025. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
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