Clemson is making a run at a highly-touted 2027 talent. But the Seminoles are set to host this local wide receiver.
Clemson and Florida State appeared to be locked in with an early recruiting battle in January 2026 -- a common occurrence, though, during recruiting cycles.
Except the Tigers are trying to persuade a Tallahassee talent to drift off and head over to South Carolina. Whereas FSU will attempt to keep him in-house.
Jamarin Simmons of Amos P. Godby High School is exploding on the recruiting trail with 15 scholarship offers and counting. The Atlantic Coast Conference rivals are among the list of his suitors.
Zach Blostein of 247Sports dropped some recruiting intel on where things stand for the 5-foot-11, 152-pounder, who's listed as a four-star talent per the composite rankings.
"Tallahassee product and four-star wideout Jamarin Simmons says Clemson, Florida, Mississippi State, Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida State are standing out. He plans to visit Clemson soon and the Tigers are likely the team to beat. He says he plans to visit FSU again sometime soon," Blostein wrote.
Simmons is "far from a decision" according to 247Sports. So this buys time for Mike Norvell and his coaching staff to continue courting the local star. FSU is one of the schools he's strongly considering per the national outlet.
However: "He'll visit Clemson in the very near future, and it's clear the Tigers are the team to beat as of today."
Even in an era dominated by the NCAA Transfer Portal and NIL deals, Norvell and the Seminoles still must prioritize local recruiting -- especially when it comes to keeping the high-profile Tallahassee talent from landing at a conference rival.
Clemson, meanwhile, remains one of the few Power Four teams that still trusts the old ways of building a roster via high school recruits. The Tigers haven't landed high-profile transfers under head coach Dabo Swinney. Clemson managed to win the ACC title in 2024 but stumbled badly in 2025 -- placing the two-time national championship winning head coach on the hot seat.
Except Norvell is sitting under intense warmth too.
He hasn't taken the 'Noles to a bowl game since their 13-1 campaign of 2023. His own struggles in both the portal and keeping recruits have hindered him. So Simmons rises as a major need for the 'Noles...regardless if FSU looks deep and loaded at his position group. Simmons is also the state of Florida's No. 6 talent per 247Sports.
Meanwhile, FSU is making the attempt to flip two prospects. Oregon commit Cameron Pritchett visited the Seminoles last weekend and raved about the visit. Alabama pledge Jabarrius Garror also took in FSU and loved his visit.
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