After reclassifying to the 2027 cycle, the disruptive pass rusher chooses Tallahassee over rival offers, bolstering Mike Norvell’s surging recruiting class with elite sack-production and home-grown talent.
When you are a top football recruit, you want to get into the college football routine as soon as possible.
That is what four-star edge rusher Meshi Dobson did by reclassifying to the 2027 class and committed to the Florida State Seminoles on Wednesday. 247 Sports now ranks Dobson as a 3-star recruit for this class.
Mike Norvell continues to recruit at a high level for the 2027 recruiting cycle, with 17 commitments for the class, and ranks No. 35 in the team rankings, according to 247 Sports. The coaching staff’s efforts to bring the best talent to Tallahassee have resulted in this class of prospects continuing to rise in the rankings over the last six weeks or so.
As far as the ACC goes, the 247 Sports says the Seminoles 2027 class ranks No. 6, ahead of top teams like the reigning conference champions Duke Blue Devils, Louisville and SMU. The Mustangs are considered to be one of the top two teams in the ACC for 2026, behind only Miami.
At 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Dobson is the third edge rusher to commit to the Seminoles, after Anthony Cavallaro and Jaxson Holly pledged their services to Florida State.
Dobson chose the Seminoles over Syracuse and Miami, and held 30 scholarship offers. Last season, Dobson recorded 72 tackles and 14 sacks, proving he was a disruptor of the highest order to opposing offensive game plans.
Dobson reunites with high school teammate and 4-star athlete Za’kari Johnson, who also reclassified so he could get ahead of the college football curve a year earlier.
Choosing the Seminoles was a no-brainer for Dobson. "Florida State, it's not too far away from home," he said. "Like I said, growing up, Florida State has always been a big team to me. I really think I can fit in at that team -- that's where I belong”, said Dobson in a story by Zach Blostein on Noles 247.
The ability to secure the commitments of home-grown Florida talent is critical for Florida State’s gridiron success. The Sunshine State is well-known for its football talent at the high school level, and is a destination for coaches and recruiters from across the country.
While the commitments are not the same as a signature on a national letter of intent, and could be flipped at any time, seven wins the past two seasons appear to have had no effect on the psyche and decision-making of Dobson and the rest of these 18-year-olds.
These recruits believe that the garnet and gold are their colors of the day and Doak Campbell Stadium is their house that must be protected. Standing in the tunnel, the roar of the war chant is deafening.
Watching in awe as Chief Osceola rides to midfield and plants the spear, their chests fill with pride as they run out to the adulation of a grateful fan base, ready to prove they belong and that the Seminoles made the right choice.
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