Tuesday afternoon turned out to be a letdown for Florida State football recruiting. Four-star linebacker Tavion Wallace from Wayne County High School in Jesup, Georgia, was expected to choose between Florida State, Florida, Georgia, and Arkansas.
Many recruiting experts believed Wallace would commit to Florida State. He even mentioned to On3’s Phillip Dukes that the Seminoles were leading his recruitment. Despite Florida State being the frontrunner, there was always talk about the home-state Georgia Bulldogs and rival Florida Gators as potential destinations for Wallace.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Wallace chose to commit to the Arkansas Razorbacks. This decision was so unexpected that even those closely involved in his recruitment thought Arkansas was the least likely choice.
Recruiting is always unpredictable, as it requires teenagers to make one of the most difficult decisions of their lives. I had to take a moment to gather my thoughts before writing this piece to avoid letting my emotions interfere.
This was a significant miss for the coaching staff. To be honest, I had already drafted an article about Wallace committing to Florida State, praising him as the best linebacker prospect the Seminoles had landed in over a decade.
Wallace was highly valued. Despite being ranked as the third-best linebacker in the 2025 cycle by most recruiting databases, many believed he was among the top. His commitment would have overshadowed the losses of four-star Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (Washington) and four-star Gavin Nix (Miami).
Instead, the Seminoles went all-in on Wallace and ended up with no one. While some fans may want to blame linebackers coach Randy Shannon, the responsibility should not rest solely on him.
Looking ahead, this is concerning. Although I like four-star Ethan Pritchard (the only linebacker prospect committed to Florida State), the team needs at least two linebackers with veteran DJ Lundy graduating after the 2024 season.
The options at the position are limited. The Seminoles could still pursue Wallace and attempt to flip him from Arkansas, though he might switch to Georgia. Other possibilities include four-star Riley Pettijohn (not much interest), four-star Tarvos Alford (committed to Ohio State), four-star Gavin Nix (committed to Miami), four-star Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (committed to Washington), four-star Ty Jackson (hasn’t visited), and three-star Michael Hastie (committed to West Virginia).
Flipping prospects from their respective schools is challenging. The Seminoles have made it difficult for themselves in acquiring linebackers for their class. Hopefully, they don’t just settle for Pritchard and attempt to fill the gap through the transfer portal, as the 2025 recruiting cycle has several talented prospects at the position.