Florida State has lost the top commitment in its 2026 class.
On Sunday evening, four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel announced he was backing off his pledge to Florida State. The decision comes in the aftermath of the Seminoles hiring new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and head coach Mike Norvell giving up primary play-calling duties. Smigiel has picked up a lot of interest over the last few weeks and was visited by Ohio State earlier this week.
Norvell and Malzahn went out to California at the beginning of the month to meet with Smigiel. The idea was to sell him on his fit in the new offense and lock in a return trip to Tallahassee. Instead, Smigiel is re-opening his recruitment without returning to Florida State.
Smigiel was recently named high school football player of the year by the Los Angeles Times after a junior season where he guided Newbury Park High School to a 14-1 record and a D2 CIFSS Championship. He completed 219/336 passes (65.2%) for 3,521 yards with 49 touchdowns to three interceptions while adding 435 yards and 11 more scores on the ground.
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During his prolific career at Newbury Park, Smigiel has completed 729/1,161 passes for 11,222 yards with 147 touchdowns to 28 interceptions. He’s 33-8 as a starter and has won at least one playoff game in all three years at the prep level.
The 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback is regarded as the No. 61 overall prospect, the No. 5 QB, and the No. 10 recruit in California in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.
With the loss of Smigiel, Florida State is down to five verbal commitments in its 2026 class. The haul moves from No. 8 to No. 10 in the country.
Four-Star WR Efrem White
Four-Star WR Darryon Williams
Four-Star DB Darryl Bell III
Three-Star DB Tedarius Hughes
Three-Star OL Xavier Payne
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