The Seminoles are aggressively trying to keep a backyard talent home, and from potentially joining a conference rival.
Florida State football is attempting to show lots of love to a prominent recruit post Valentine's Day.
Except this four-star talent is a local prospect -- and one being courted by a fierce Atlantic Coast Conference rival of the Seminoles.
Wide receiver Jamarin Simmons remains a big priority for the FSU 2027 recruiting class. Zach Blostein of Noles247 delivered an update on where things stand on that front.
"The Seminoles hosted Simmons on campus for their final Junior Day of January as they work to unseat Clemson at the top of Simmons recruitment," Blostein began. "The Godby High School standout has called the Tigers the clear leader in his recruitment for the last month, citing strong relationships with Dabo Swinney and others on his staff as the reason why."
This sparked this projection out of the national recruiting writer.
"I predicted Simmons to Clemson after spending some time with him at his school last month," Blostein said.
Losing Simmons to Clemson would become a massive blow for FSU. More so for head coach Mike Norvell -- who's lately been called out for his recruiting methods.
Norvell has leaned into his assistants in landing notable four-star talent. But the Noles haven't lured in a five-star as of late. It also didn't help Florida State watch Malachi Toney become a prized true freshman standout at rival Miami -- with FSU once courting the dynamic wide receiver before he chose the Hurricanes.
Now FSU faces a new dilemma -- Gus Malzahn is retired and bequeathed his offensive coordinator role. Malzahn's offense is built to create explosive plays, which suits the 5-foot-11 Simmons very well.
Fortunately for the Seminoles, there's a coach who's built a rapport with the Tallahassee talent.
"FSU wide receivers coach Tim Harris Jr. has developed a strong relationships with Simmons and will work hard to try and improve the Seminoles' positioning in the recruitment of the local star," Blostein said.
Perhaps Harris' new title as offensive coordinator can boost Simmons' interest in the Seminoles. Harris is the team's highest-ranked recruiter from the 2026 cycle and is big on wide receiver development. He recently oversaw USC transfer Duce Robinson's first-ever 1,000-yard season last season.
Simmons drifting from the Seminoles' grasp, however, would ignite more "Fire Norvell" chatter.
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