There are many great traditions in college football, but one growing tradition that we’d rather see go away is Mike Norvell losing his top recruit. It’s a feeling Florida State fans are unfortunately all too familiar with. No sooner did the Noles land a defensive line commit earlier Sunday, they lost the top-ranked recruit in the 2027 class.
Four-star defensive back Mekhi Williams has decommitted from Florida State, announcing his decision while on an official visit to Wisconsin. The Ruskin (Lennard HS) native, who had been pledged to FSU since March of 2025, released a statement Sunday that reads less like a kid still weighing his options and more like someone who has already made up his mind.
“This decision wasn’t easy, but God has a plan for me and I know this is the best decision for myself,” Williams said in his statement. “I just wanna thank all the coaches for the opportunity to be a part of your program. After careful consideration, and a long talk with my family, I have decided to decommit and will not be attending Florida State. I truly appreciate the time, effort, and support you have shown me throughout the process. I wish the program success.”
Williams is rated as the No. 107 overall prospect and the No. 10 cornerback in the 2027 class per 247Sports. He was FSU’s highest-ranked commit in the cycle and, frankly, it wasn’t close. Not only was he the Seminoles’ highest-rated and longest-tenured commit, FSU was the first school to offer him a scholarship back in January of 2025 and had hosted him on numerous visits throughout his recruitment. Over a year of relationship-building, gone on a weekend trip to Madison.
Wisconsin had been making a serious push, with Williams returning to campus this weekend for an official visit after an earlier trip in which he called the program “a great place all-around.” LSU and Nebraska were also in the mix and had official visits lined up, but Wisconsin appears to be the destination. And look, Wisconsin is a fine program under Luke Fickell, but they are coming off back-to-back losing seasons. When a blue-chip Florida prospect picks a mid-tier Big Ten school over your program, that’s a recruiting story that demands honest criticism.
The signs were there. Williams had publicly acknowledged he was keeping his “options open” in recent weeks, and On3’s Shea Dixon had already logged a prediction for a flip away from FSU. The writing was on the wall. The recruiting staff just couldn’t close.
This is where the Travis Hunter, KJ Bolden, and Keldric Faulk comparisons become unavoidable, and not in a good way. The Noles have been down this road before, losing top-ranked commitments. Winning in recruiting means winning the visit weekend. FSU had Williams back on campus in March, and his official visit was still scheduled for June 5th. He never made it.
The immediate concern is class momentum. Williams was the anchor and crown jewel of the 2027 class. The staff will need to move fast on the board to both replace Williams’ production in the rankings and send a message to the rest of the class.
My biggest question is this: what does the FSU pitch look like right now to a four-star defensive back from Florida? If a kid who was committed for over a year, who visited multiple times, who had every reason to feel locked in, still walked away on his official visit weekend, the staff has some serious self-reflection to do on how they’re closing recruits. But this is not new territory for them. Recruiting has always been a weakness under Norvell, and the Noles 47th ranking in the 2027 class is a clear sign of that. The dust is a long way from settling on this class, but it’s on pace to be one of the worst of his tenure, and that’s not promising if he’s ever going to right this ship.
Stay tuned to your source for fan-focused FSU coverage here at Plant The Spear. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!