Florida State's 2026 recruiting class took a hit earlier this week when four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel backed off his pledge to the program. Suddenly, the Seminoles are back in the market and they've already extended a trio of new offers at the position.
With the losses of offensive linemen Darius Washington and Maurice Smith to the NFL, alongside defensive tackle Josh Farmer, who declared for the NFL Draft, defensive end Patrick Payton and Marvin Jones, Jr., to the NCAA Transfer portal, head coach Mike Norvell has had to make significant adjustments on both sides of the ball.
Ionata is the son of former FSU offensive lineman Joey Ionata, who played for the Seminoles from 1984-88. Ionata was a full-time starter during his final two years with the program and was an AP All-American honorable mention in 1988. The younger Ionata also has an older brother, Joseph Ionata, who signed with Alabama in 2023.
Following a disappointing 2-10 2024 campaign, Mike Norvell and the Seminoles lose a blue-chip quarterback recruit via de-commitment.
Head coach Mike Norvell is trying to make that a reality. On Wednesday, Norvell was all over the place, including the state of Georgia to check in with five-star linebacker Xavier Griffin. After committing to USC in July, Griffin is still entertaining potential suitors ahead of his senior season.
Florida State made a nice addition to its 2026 recruiting class earlier this week after netting a commitment from four-star running back Amari Clemons. With that being said, the Seminoles are still continuing to look for a running mate to add alongside Clemons in the backfield.
Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell showed up to support former Seminoles for the Rams vs. Eagles in the NFC divisional round, and fans had plenty of jokes across social media.
On Friday, FSU head coach Mike Norvell made his way through the Sunshine State. He took the time to drop through Pace High School to visit with four-star offensive lineman Grant Wise. The Seminoles are clearly making Wise a priority along the trenches as offensive line coach Herb Hand was in to see him earlier this week.
It's also worth noting that Atkins played a big role in the recruitment of five-star offensive lineman Solomon Thomas, who flipped from Florida State to LSU during the Early Signing Period. Now, he'll get to coach the blue-chip prospect in Baton Rouge.
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell spoke to the voice of the Seminoles, Jeff Culhane, during the Seminole Boosters "Vision of Excellence" program. During their conversation, Norvell provided insight into his working relationship with FSU Athletic Director and Vice President,
Castellanos, who accounted for 5 touchdowns the last two years against FSU, signed with the Seminoles in mid-December and held his first news conference Tuesday. He was the first recruit signed by
Smigiel's father, Joe Smigiel, who coaches him at the prep level at Newbury Park High School, noted the family fell in love with Florida State but he had reservations about the situation working out. Joe said that it was up to Brady to make the final call.