Photo courtesy of Florida State athletics
Florida State’s coaching staff was unfortunately unable to secure a wide receiver prospect during the 2022 recruiting cycle after missing on three of its top targets: Five-star athlete Travis Hunter (flipped to Jackson State and was thought to be utilized in some capacity at receiver), five-star Kevin Coleman (Jackson State) and four-star Devaughn Mortimer (flipped to Louisville).
As a result, the Seminoles went to the transfer portal to soften the blow on not acquiring a wide receiver on Early Signing Day. Below is a look at those acquired via the transfer portal and their 2021 statistics:
Winston Wright Jr. (West Virginia)
63 receptions for 688 yards and five touchdowns
Mycah Pittman (Oregon)
12 receptions for 197 yards
Johnny Wilson (Arizona State)
12 receptions for 154 yards and one touchdown
Deuce Spann (Illinois)
Five receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns
Where Does the Roster Stand?
Currently, Florida State has 12 scholarship wide receivers on its roster:
•Ontaria Wilson, RS Sr.
•Keyshawn Helton, RS Sr.
•Winston Wright Jr., RS Jr.
•Mycah Pittman, RS Jr.
•Kentron Poitier, RS Soph.
•Darion Williamson, RS Soph.
•Ja’Khi Douglas, RS Soph.
•Johnny Wilson, RS Soph.
•Deuce Spann, RS Soph.
•Malik McClain, Soph.
•Joshua Burrell, RS Fr.
•Destyn Hill, Fr. (if he enrolls)
How Does FSU Recruit the Position?
Redshirt seniors Ontaria Wilson and Keyshawn Helton will exceed their eligibility after this upcoming season. There is also a possibility that redshirt juniors Winston Wright Jr., if healthy, and/or Mycah Pittman could take their games to the next level and depart as well.
While the Seminoles already have two wide receiver prospects committed to the program in three-stars Darren Lawrence (843 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns last season) and Vandrevius Jacobs (809 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns), they would likely desire to acquire two more prospects at the position.
Prospects to Watch
Unfortunately, the coaching staff missed out on four-star receiver target Keyon Brown from Rickards High School in Tallahassee. Despite making multiple visits to FSU, Brown committed to Oklahoma.
The Sooners extended an offer to the talented playmaker on June 2. He ultimately decided to commit on June 5.
With Brown seemingly out of the picture for the Seminoles, the coaching staff will be focusing on other targets. Here are some prospects to monitor going forward (according to 247Sports Composite rankings):
•5-star Jalen Brown
•5-star Shelton Sampson Jr.
•4-star Hykeem Williams
•4-star Chris Culliver
•4-star Traylon Ray
•3-star William Fowles
•3-star Santana Fleming
•3-star Kevin Concepcion
•Unranked DeAndre Buchannon
•Unranked Ja’Ryan Wallace
Closing Thoughts
It is believed that five-star Jalen Brown and four-star Hykeem Williams are the top priorities at the position for the FSU coaching staff. Given its circumstances, Florida State cannot afford to miss out on acquiring talent at the position.
The Seminoles have only had one 1,000-yard receiver since the 2015 season. That was Tamorrion Terry in 2019.
Will position coach Ron Dugans and Co. be able to sign quality receivers this cycle? Time will tell.
