Recently Offered OL Headed to SEC over Florida State Seminoles Football – Sports Illustrated

In this story:
The Florida State Seminoles are fading quickly on the recruiting trail.
With other programs surging and stacking up their classes, the Seminoles find themselves falling behind. In fact, #Tribe27 has dropped outside of the top-45 in the country, and there's no telling when or if head coach Mike Norvell will be able to right the ship.
READ MORE: Florida State Seminoles Football Checks In With Top RB Target Before Official Visit
Florida State's offensive line was one of the only bright spots during the 2025 season. However, all five starters graduated at the conclusion of the campaign, leaving position coach Herb Hand back at square one.
So far, the Seminoles have yet to add a pledge in the trenches to their 2027 class.
At the end of April, Hand was in Tennessee to extend an offer to three-star offensive tackle Luke Burger.
Despite aspirations to get Burger to Tallahassee for an official visit, the rising senior is off the board just over two weeks later.
Recently, Burger announced his commitment to Vanderbilt, choosing the Commodores over Duke, Cincinnati, and Florida State.
#AGTG After a lot of prayer, conversations and consideration, I'm blessed to announce my commitment to @VandyFootball. Thank you to my family, coaches, teammates and every program that believed in me throughout this journey. Excited for what's ahead in Nashville. Anchor Down… pic.twitter.com/aNaU7Q9ywY
The 6-foot-7, 285-pound offensive lineman is regarded as the No. 1101 overall prospect, the No. 85 OT, and the No. 41 recruit in Tennessee in the 2027 class according to the 247Sports Composite Ratings.
With Burger headed elsewhere, Florida State will focus on a few other names at offensive tackle, such as four-star Li'Marcus Jones and three-star Jacob Burns. It's a thin board at the moment.
Florida State holds six verbal commitments in #Tribe27, which ranks No. 46 in the country.
Three-Star TE Connor Winn
Three-Star DE Anthony Cavallaro
Four-Star LB Gregory Batson
Four-Star DB Mekhi Williams
Three-Star DB Jemari Foreman
Three-Star DB DaYon Cooper
Nate Pabst, Redshirt Senior
Xavier Chaplin, Redshirt Senior
Andre' Otto, Redshirt Junior
Bradyn Joiner, Redshirt Junior
Chimdia Nwaiwu, Redshirt Junior
Steven Moore, Junior
Jon Daniels, Redshirt Sophomore
Jayden Todd, Redshirt Sophomore
Paul Bowling, Sophomore
Sean Poret, Redshirt Freshman
Chastan Brown, Redshirt Freshman
Sandman Thompson, Redshirt Freshman
Jakobe Green, Freshman
Michael Ionata, Freshman
Luke Francis, Freshman
Steven Pickard, Freshman
Nikau Hepi, Freshman
Donald Akhibi, Freshman
Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X , and Instagram for the latest news.
Loading recommendations… Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations
Lewis joined NoleGameday in 2016 and is currently in the role of Editor-In-Chief. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis contributes to football, recruiting, and basketball coverage. Connect with Dustin on Twitter at @DustinLewisNG.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC – SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. – All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

source