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Happy Sunday, Seminole!

Here’s what’s on deck today — from clutch moments to recruiting leverage points:

🎾 Pressure Tennis Weekend 🎾
FSU’s women advance through ITA Kickoff Weekend drama, while the men learn just how thin the margins are against ranked competition.

🏀 A Missed Opportunity in Dallas 🏀
Men’s hoops shows real fight at SMU — but an ugly first half proves too much to overcome.

🏈 Recruiting Momentum Check 🏈
Junior Day returns are stacking up, with QB Derrick Baker, RB Nigel Newkirk, and EDGE Desmond Malpress all leaving Tallahassee energized — and FSU firmly in the mix.

🧲 Commitments Aren’t Commitments (Anymore) 🧲
What Mekhi Williams’ “solid but open” stance tells us about modern recruiting — and why 2026 results will matter more than any tweet.

🧱 Trench Work That Matters 🧱
2027 OL Jayden Dean buys into the five-on-five world, and Florida State is very much part of the conversation.

🏈 Sunday NFL Spotlight 🏈
Former Seminoles remain active — or nearby — as Conference Championship Weekend takes over the league.

Plenty to unpack today. Let’s get into it.

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Florida State tennis split results Saturday at ITA Kickoff Weekend, with the women punching through a pressure moment and the men running into a tough draw.

🔥 Women’s Tennis Survives, Advances

FSU women’s tennis moved to 2–0 with a gritty 4–3 win over Nevada in the opening round in Auburn — advancing to face host No. 4 Auburn with a National Indoors berth on the line.

FSU advances to the second round of ITA Kickoff for the 10th time in 16 appearances.

⏭️ Next: vs. No. 4 Auburn (Sunday, 2:00 p.m. ET)

FSU men’s tennis dropped its opening ITA Kickoff match to Pepperdine and will now play in Sunday’s consolation match.

This one came down to margins — and they didn’t fall FSU’s way.

⏭️ Next: Consolation match Sunday (opponent TBD)

🧠 Why It Matters

ITA Kickoff Weekend is unforgiving.

👉️ Full recaps to follow after Sunday play here and here

Florida State Seminoles men's basketball nearly erased a brutal first half but came up just short Saturday night, falling 83–80 to SMU Mustangs men's basketball in Dallas.

🔥 The Swing
After trailing 46–34 at the break — and watching SMU play a turnover-free first half — FSU flipped the script early in the second.

But every FSU surge was met with an answer.

📊 By the Numbers

🌟 Who Showed

FSU won the glass (43–38), owned second-chance points, and got real production — just not enough margin.

🧠 Why It Matters
This one showed both sides of the coin:

You can’t spot a disciplined home team 12 points — especially one that doesn’t give the ball away.

⏭️ What’s Next
FSU returns home to face California Golden Bears men's basketball on Wednesday.

Read more here

Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton three-star QB Derrick Baker made yet another return trip to Florida State Seminoles football on Saturday — and this one mattered.

🔥 Why This Visit Hit Different
This marked Baker’s first chance to sit down with new quarterbacks coach Austin Tucker, and the feedback was glowing.

Baker called the visit “phenomenal” and emphasized how much deeper his understanding of the offense has become.

🧠 The Comp That Turned Heads
Malzahn compared Baker’s skill set to Cam Newton — a name Baker knows well, as he currently plays for Newton’s 7-on-7 team.

Big frame. Strong arm. Real run threat.
That archetype fits exactly what FSU looks for at quarterback.

📈 Where Things Stand

Georgia, Tennessee, and Auburn remain involved — but familiarity and continuity are working heavily in FSU’s favor.

🩺 One Note of Context
Baker missed much of his junior season with a wrist injury but says he’s now fully healthy.

He’s currently ranked:

Read more here

Florida State landed one of its top running back priorities on campus Saturday as Gainesville (Ga.) three-star Nigel Newkirk made an important Junior Day return to Florida State Seminoles football.

This was his first visit of 2026 — and a clear tone-setter.

🔥 Why This Visit Mattered
Newkirk has been on FSU’s radar for a while, but momentum picked up fast once Kam Martin took over the RB room.

Newkirk called the visit “great” and said it felt natural being back in Tallahassee.

🧠 The Comp That Raised Eyebrows
Martin reportedly compared Newkirk’s skill set to Jahmyr Gibbs — and Malzahn echoed that belief.

Newkirk relayed that staff sees him as:

“He told me even though I’m a three-star, he sees me as a five-star,” Newkirk said.

📈 Where Things Stand

On the field, the production backs it up:

Newkirk is currently ranked the No. 33 RB nationally in the 2027 class by 247Sports.

Read more here

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Florida State landed one of its most important defensive targets on campus Saturday as Jacksonville Atlantic standout Desmond Malpress visited for the Seminoles’ second Junior Day of the month.

And momentum is real.

🧠 Nick Williams Effect
New edge coach Nick Williams is already making a difference.

Malpress built a relationship with Williams during his time at Syracuse — and that connection has carried straight to Tallahassee.

“I love him… I know he’s going to push me to where I want to be — the NFL,” Malpress said.
“That’s what I want from a coach.”

For a top-tier edge rusher, that trust matters.

🚁 Norvell Made It Personal
FSU head coach Mike Norvell took recruiting a step further this week — literally — stopping by Malpress’ school via helicopter.

That visit clearly resonated.

“That’s a coach you want to be coached by,” Malpress said.
“A motivator. Very energetic. This is definitely a school for me right now.”

🧩 Scheme Fit = Freedom
What stood out most? The role FSU laid out defensively.

“I can be at the 3, on the edge, guarding a tight end — I love to do that,” Malpress said.

📈 Recruiting Snapshot

Read more here

Florida State landed Ruskin (Fla.) Lennard safety Mekhi Williams nearly a year ago — and on the surface, nothing has changed.

“I’m a Florida kid… Florida State has always been the school for me,” Williams said.
“The coaches, the history — I’ve always felt that connection.”

But in today’s recruiting climate, words like commitment come with an asterisk.

🔍 The Reality
Williams remains pledged to FSU — and plans to take all five official visits.

That includes continued interest from:

Wisconsin and Auburn, in particular, have increased pressure recently, with Williams citing consistent communication and strong position-coach relationships.

📊 Why He’s a Target

This is the type of player programs don’t walk away from — committed or not.

🧠 This Is Modern Recruiting
Williams committing early doesn’t make him unique.
Him keeping his recruitment open does.

High school recruiting now exists alongside:

He committed when FSU was coming off a 2–10 season, which speaks to a real connection — but connection alone rarely closes in January anymore.

🧠 Why It Matters for FSU
Holding Williams isn’t about tweets or verbal assurances.

It will come down to:

Head coach Mike Norvell doesn’t just need to win games — he needs to protect relationships while opposing staffs try to pull them apart.

Read more here and here

Five-on-five trench events can be polarizing — but for Jayden Dean, one weekend changed the outlook.

The 2027 interior offensive lineman out of St. Thomas Aquinas competed in the Tr3nch Football League with Power Elite — and walked away a believer and a champion.

🏆 Why It Mattered

“I was always against the five-on-five until today. I had fun, so I’m ready for more.”

📈 Recruiting Momentum
A clear group is separating itself:

FSU and Kentucky currently stand out the most.

🏹 FSU’s Angle
The Seminoles are leveraging familiar South Florida ties:

Dean also confirmed FSU’s offensive line coach visited his school recently — a strong signal of priority.

🗓️ What’s Next

Read more here

Several Seminoles will be involved — directly or indirectly — as the NFL Conference Championship games kick off Sunday.

🟦 AFC Championship
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
🕒 3:00 p.m. ET | 📺 CBS

🟥 NFC Championship
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
🕡 6:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX

👉️ Full recap and FSU stat check coming after Sunday night.

Recruiting momentum is building, margins are getting thinner, and nothing — nothing — is guaranteed anymore. Not wins, not visits, not commitments.

We’ll keep sorting signal from noise — daily.

See you tomorrow.
— The Chief