Despite hosting local star Kahmaree Crumity nine times, the Seminoles vanished from the cornerback's top ten list, signaling a deepening crisis in Mike Norvell’s backyard recruiting efforts.
While Mike Norvell has stayed busy locking down commitments over the last month, none of the new additions have done enough to truly move the needle for Florida State’s sluggish 2027 recruiting class rankings.
Or simpler still: Norvell’s recent regular-season struggles have severely dented FSU's pulling power, allowing rival programs to easily chip away at elite local targets.
This year in particular, the Seminoles have struggled heavily to land talent from its own backyard. They’re no LSU, of course, but they have to constantly battle Florida and Miami, not to mention the out-of-state powerhouses that raid the Sunshine State annually.
But even with a deep, fertile local pool that offers plenty of pieces to build an elite class, FSU is consistently missing out on the homegrown premium talent.
The pattern repeated itself when 2028 four-star cornerback Kahmaree Crumity announced his Top 10, and FSU failed to make the cut, despite Crumity playing just down the road at Lincoln High School.
FSU Didn't Make it In Kahmaree Crumity's Top 10
While Crumity’s massive top 10 list includes national powerhouses like Tennessee, UCLA, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, and Auburn, 247Sports reports that the real battle is narrowing down to a final five: Clemson, Indiana, Miami, Louisville, and Auburn.
What’s worse is that Crumity transferred to Lincoln from Gadsden County High School, a program that Florida State's director of recruiting, Devin Rispress, has direct ties to.
And the decision comes after Norvell hosted Crumity for a visit. The CB prospect has visited the Seminoles not once or twice, but nine times in just over a year, including five trips since the calendar flipped to 2026.
It’s one thing to lose a tight recruiting battle at the buzzer. But hosting a hometown target nine times just to watch him completely lock the Seminoles out of his top 10 is a wildly insulting wake-up call for this staff.
And this is not the first time the Seminoles have suffered a gut punch like this either.
Another massive one came just weeks ago, when in-state four-star safety Mekhi Williams retracted his commitment to FSU and committed to Miami.
Williams was not just a top-100 national prospect and the No. 10 safety in the country. He was also FSU’s highest-rated recruit and one of the very few blue-chip, nationally ranked prospects committed to their entire 2027 class.
During his sophomore season at Gadsden County High School, Crumity totaled 33 tackles, 6 pass deflections, and 1 interception. He was named first-team All-Big Bend following the campaign.
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