Elite In-State Prospect Doesn’t Include FSU Football In Top Five

The Seminoles missed the cut for the top recruit in the state.

Florida State holds plenty of weight on the recruiting trail after a season where the program was among the top teams in the sport. Head coach Mike Norvell has helped guide the Seminoles to a 23-4 mark and an ACC Championship over the last two years, putting them back on the radar for some of the most highly regarded recruits in the nation.

That resurgence hasn’t held weight with at least one elite prospect. Five-star safety and rising senior DJ Pickett announced his top five a couple of days ago. After previously being listed in his top 13, the Seminoles missed the cut for the top recruit in the state in favor of Miami, Michigan, Oregon, Georgia, and LSU.

The move is a little bit of a surprise after Pickett harped on the relationship that Florida State’s coaching staff had been building with him and his family over the past few years.

“The relationship that they built with me when they offered me in eighth grade,” Pickett said to NoleGameday previously. “They just keep in contact with my parents so that’s really big because other schools don’t really do that.” 

Pickett has only been to Tallahassee twice since March, including a trip to watch the Seminoles take down Miami in November. He’s the cousin of Hurricanes defensive end signee Booker Pickett. It remains to be seen if he will take another visit to FSU prior to the conclusion of the upcoming recruiting cycle.

The Florida native is coming off a productive junior season where he dominated on both sides of the ball. Pickett caught 52 passes for 1,033 yards with 15 touchdowns on offense while totaling 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and one interception on defense.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound defensive back is regarded as the No. 7 overall prospect, the No. 3 CB, and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Florida in the 2025 class according to 247Sports.