Florida State is losing recruits amid their disastrous season.
Florida State football is off to a terrible start to the 2024 season, and the Seminoles’ recruits are starting to take notice. On Tuesday, four-star wide receiver Malik Clark announced that he has decommitted from Florida State, according to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports.
“BREAKING: Four-Star WR Malik Clark has Decommitted from Florida State, he tells me for @on3recruits,” Fawcett reported on X, formerly Twitter. “The 6’3 185 WR from Rock Hill, SC had been Committed to the Seminoles since July. Holds a total of 40 Offers.”
Clark, who is from Rock Hill, SC, has reopened his recruitment, where North Carolina and South Carolina were major factors. With Clark’s decision to reconsider coming to Tallahassee, Florida State’s recruiting class gets weaker on the outside.
Mike Norvell and the Seminoles have to get the train back on the tracks after a blowout loss to SMU dropped them to 1-4 on the season. After feeling slighted from a College Football Playoff berth a season ago, Florida State is now going to have to scrap and claw through a tough ACC schedule just to qualify for a bowl game this season.
If you look at it in the context of their preseason goals, then yes, Florida State’s season is over. They already have three losses in ACC play so ten if they run the table to finish 8-4, it likely won’t be enough to get them into the conference championship game or into the top 12 in the rankings for an at-large playoff bid.
Florida State still has a path to a bowl game, but their quarterback play must take a complete 180 from what they’ve been getting this season. Whether it’s DJ Uiagalelei or Brock Glenn off the bench, that position is at the top of the list of the Seminoles’ problems and is the first thing that needs to turn around for them to regain their footing.
Uiagalelei, who was a highly-touted transfer portal recruit, has played so poorly through five games that Norvell has hinted at his starting job being in jeopardy. So far this season, Uiagalelei is completing less than 54% of his passes with four touchdowns and six interceptions. He was replaced in the fourth quarter against SMU by Glenn, who struggled in two starts as a true freshman at the end of last season after the injury to Jordan Travis.
Glenn may be worth another look, as his two poor performances last season came against the elite defenses of Louisville and Georgia. However, Florida State’s schedule for the rest of this season isn’t forgiving either. They still have three ranked opponents left on the slate, including a date with No. 15 Clemson on Saturday.
Florida State’s season may not be completely over, and they can still salvage some of it by getting to six wins and reaching a bowl game. However, the quarterback play at the moment makes it hard to believe that they can get there.