Noles News: FSU remains slight underdog to Gators

Recruiting

2026 Florida State recruiting class

• QUARTERBACK: 4-star Jaden O’Neal (OK)

• RUNNING BACK: 4-star Amari Thomas (FL)

• WIDE RECEIVER: 3-star Jonah “JP” Winston (AL)

• WIDE RECEIVER: 4-star Efrem White (FL)

• WIDE RECEIVER: 4-star Brandon Bennett (FL)

• WIDE RECEIVER: 4-star Devin Carter (GA)

• WIDE RECEIVER: 4-star Jasen Lopez (FL)

• TIGHT END: 4-star Xavier Tiller (GA)

• TIGHT END: 3-star Corbyn Fordham (FL)

• OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3-star Mike Ionata (FL)

• OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3-star Jakobe Green (FL)

• OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3-star Luke Francis (London, UK)

• DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3-star Damaan Lewis (NC)

• DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4-star Earnest Rankins (GA)

• DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4-star Franklin Whitley (SC)

• DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3-star Chris Carbin (GA)

• DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3-star Wihtlley Cadeau (GA)

• DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3-star Judah Daniels (FL)

• LINEBACKER: 4-star Izayia Williams (FL)

• LINEBACKER: 3-star Karon Maycock (FL)

• LINEBACKER: 3-star Noah LaVallee (GA)

• LINEBACKER: 3-star Daylen Green (FL)

• DEFENSIVE BACK: 3-star Jordan Crutchfield (FL)

• DEFENSIVE BACK: 4-star Chauncey Kennon (FL)

• DEFENSIVE BACK: 4-star Darryl Bell III (FL)

• DEFENSIVE BACK: 3-star Sean Johnson (MD)

• ATHLETE: 3-star Darryon Williams (FL)

Football

While the line has fluctuated a bit throughout the week, the spread in Florida State vs. Florida currently sits at 1.5, according to FanDuel with the moneyline for each team reflecting how much of a toss-up this matchup is. FSU is at -108 while UF is at -113.

Bowl projections continue to place FSU in the Gasparilla Bowl, with the lone exception being ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura putting the Seminoles in the Birmingham Bowl vs. Memphis. His colleague Mark Schlabach has FSU facing off against UConn while On3 and USA Today have Florida State matched up with USF.

Duce Robinson was asked Tuesday about the possibility of returning next year and he declined to get into spefifics, saying that “there is a time and place for that conversation. Right now, all of my focus is on Florida and doing my best to make sure that I’ve prepared well and try to make a bowl game.”

Basketball

Florida State moved to 5-1 on the season with a win over CSU Bakersfield:

Soccer

Six Florida State soccer players — eniors Heather Gilchrist and Sophia Nguyen, junior Yuna McCormack and sophomores Peyton McGovern, Janet Okeke and Solai Washington — have been recognized on the Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Communicators:

FSU’s six awardees are the maximum allowed for a single school on the Academic All-District Team.

Gilchrist is a Third Team All-ACC honoree and was named to the Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List in 2025. The defender has started all 19 games this season and has scored a career-high four goals, three of them game-winners, in a team-leading 1,555 minutes. From Boulder, Colorado, her career accolades include All-America and All-ACC Third Team accolades in 2024, ACC All-Freshman Team honors in 2022 and multiple All-ACC Academic Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll distinctions.

McCormack has played in all 19 games with 17 starts and has scored a career-best five goals with three assists for a career-leading 13 points, fourth-most on the team, in more than 1,000 minutes. A midfielder from Mill Valley, California, in her first season as a Seminole, McCormack was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and has been on several All-ACC Academic Teams and ACC Academic Honor Rolls.

McGovern has played in all 19 games with 15 starts and has one assist in almost 1,200 minutes in 2025. The midfielder from Bristow, Virginia, earns her first major accolade of her collegiate career.

Nguyen has played in 18 games with 17 starts and has one assist in more than 1,000 minutes. A defender from Pensacola, Florida, she has been named to the All-ACC Academic Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll throughout her tenure in Tallahassee.

Okeke was the ACC Defender of the Week on September 16 and has played in 19 games with 18 starts and is second on the team with 1,552 minutes played. The defender from Laval, Québec, Canada, is in her first season at Florida State in 2025.

Washington has played in 18 games with nine starts and has scored two goals, both game-winners, with two assists and six points in more than 800 minutes in 2025. A forward from Atlanta, she was named to the 2024 ACC All-Freshman Team.

All Sports

Florida State swimming and diving redshirt senior Kayleigh Clark was named ACC Women’s Diver of the Week on Tuesday — her third time earning the honor this season:

Clark earned her latest ACC accolade after a strong performance at the Georgia Invitational from November 18-21, where FSU faced a quartet of top-20 opponents in Athens, Georgia. This comes after she was first recognized on October 21 following the Dual Meet Tournament in Atlanta and on November 4 after a standout showing against then-No.17 South Carolina at the Morcom Aquatics Center.

At the Georgia Invite, Clark won the platform event with a score of 314.7, placed third on 3-meter with a 309.00 and added a fourth-place finish on 1-meter with a 274.45 total. The three top-four finishes came against host-No. 18 Georgia, No.16 Alabama, No.7 Florida, No. 11 LSU and Georgia Tech.

Clark becomes the first FSU women’s diver to receive three ACC Diver of the Week honors in a single season since Kelsey Goodman in 2013-14. She also collects Florida State’s sixth weekly honor this year, marking the team’s most ACC weekly awards in the fall half of the campaign since six also were earned in 2022.

Florida State volleyball (16-11, 10-8) will wrap the regular season with a road match vs. No. 8 SMU, returning home to close out the season vs. Clemson:

The Seminoles are looking build up their NCAA Tournament resume this week and find their way into the Tournament for the 16th time in the last 17 seasons. FSU is currently 57th in the RPI. The Noles will have a huge RPI opportunity on Wednesday afternoon as they face No. 8 SMU in Dallas. The Mustangs are 23-5 and 15-3 in ACC play. SMU has won seven-straight matches. SMU is ranked No. 8 in the RPI. FSU and SMU met on Oct. 10 in Tallahassee where the Mustangs came out on top in four sets. FSU was without kills per set leader Iane Henke in the match. The Noles will return home on Friday to take on Clemson. The Tigers are 16-14 and 4-14 in ACC play. FSU defeated Clemson in four sets on Sept. 26 in Clemson. Iane Henke led the way with 20 kills while Kyleene Filimaua added 17 kills.

FSU will be looking for its first win against the Mustangs in five chances. All four matches have taken place since 2022. FSU leads the all-time series 44-20 against Clemson and have won 20 consecutive matches against the Tigers. FSU has not lost to Clemson since 2010.