FSU was the clear favorite heading into decision day. Sources from Noles247 and Warchant were on site for the announcement expecting a Seminole commitment. It didn't go that way.

Stanford is a legitimate school and a genuinely attractive option for any recruit who values academics alongside football. Nobody should fault Fennell for the decision. It's his future.

The sting for FSU isn't the loss of Fennell specifically. It's the pattern. The Seminoles were favored, did the work, had the relationship, and still came up short against a program that wasn't in the picture until late. That's the part that raises eyebrows.

This was a three-star prospect, not a top-100 recruit. Losing him doesn't derail the 2027 class on its own. Fennell was a good get, not a program-defining one.

The week still produced LeJeune, Ohuabunwa, and Foreman holding firm. Three commitments versus one miss is a net positive. Perspective matters here.

That said, FSU has to be able to close recruits in its geographic footprint when it holds the lead. Valdosta is 90 minutes from Tallahassee. Losing a local-ish three-star to Stanford after being the favorite is exactly the kind of result that fuels the program's doubters, fair or not.

McCray was FSU's best player in 2025-26, leading the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game while starting all 33 games. He shot 45.6 percent from the field and dished 200 assists, fourth-most in the ACC and 26th-most nationally.

He was one of only 12 Division I players to total at least 500 points and 200 assists in the same season. That's not a role player stat line. That's a lead guard who can score and create at an elite level simultaneously.

His postseason performance was his best stretch. He averaged 27.5 points and 6.0 assists in the ACC Tournament against Cal and No. 1-ranked Duke, earning All-ACC Tournament First Team honors. He earned All-ACC Third Team honors for the full season.

An Exhibit 10 is a one-year, non-guaranteed NBA contract that gets a player into training camp. It can be converted into a two-way contract before the regular season begins. It's not a guaranteed roster spot, but it's a real opportunity to earn one in front of NBA personnel.

McCray will compete for a role with the Lakers. The path from Exhibit 10 to two-way to full contract is well-worn. He's built exactly for it: a scoring guard who can run a team, with postseason experience and a demonstrated ability to perform on big stages.

Yesterday it was Lajae Jones going to the Warriors, the organization where Loucks spent six seasons. Today it's McCray going to the Lakers. Two former FSU players landing NBA opportunities in 48 hours is a recruiting pitch that writes itself.

Loucks inherits a program that has sent players to the league consistently, and both Jones and McCray are proof that FSU develops guards at a high level. That narrative matters when Loucks sits down with the next Blaze Johnson or Anthony Robinson type and talks about what FSU can do for them.

Wes Mendes earned First Team All-America recognition from D1Baseball and is the ACC Pitcher of the Year. The left-handed junior finished with a 9-3 record, 2.81 ERA, and 125 strikeouts, leading the ACC and ranking 13th nationally. He led the conference in innings pitched (93.0), complete games (2), and was second in ERA. His WHIP of 1.02 ranked 15th nationally. His 5.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranked fourth in the ACC.

John Abraham earned First Team recognition from the College Baseball Hall of Fame and Second Team from D1Baseball. The right-handed reliever posted a 1.91 ERA in 47.0 innings across 19 appearances, with 58 strikeouts and a 1.19 WHIP. His six saves ranked third in the ACC, all coming in conference play. He held opponents to a .190 batting average.

The two become the 51st and 52nd players in FSU history to earn First Team All-America honors. FSU has now had multiple First Team All-Americans in three consecutive seasons, matching a stretch from 1997 to 1999. Abraham and Mendes helped the Seminoles to a 40-19 record, their third consecutive 40-win season.

Mendes is recognized by five of the six major outlets, Abraham by three. Both are All-ACC honorees and earned ABCA Southeast All-Region First Team recognition. Mendes was also a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist and National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist.

Outfielder Ty Peeples announced his transfer commitment to FSU on Thursday after one season with the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-2 corner outfielder was a top-60 recruit in the 2025 class out of Franklin County High School in Georgia and was selected in the 20th round of last year's MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays before opting to return to college.

As a true freshman at Georgia, he appeared in 32 games with modest early production but the pedigree is real. In high school, he set the Georgia prep record for career walks with 142, hit .476 with 12 home runs as a senior, and was a Perfect Game All-American ranked No. 4 overall in Georgia.

He joins a program that sent 11 players to the MLB Draft last year, a national record. FSU is always a place where projectable outfield talent can develop into draft stock.

Edmiaston hit .453 with a .561 on-base percentage and a .900 slugging percentage in 2026, all Stetson school records. She hit 23 home runs and drove in 70 runs in 57 games, also school records. She ranked in the top 20 nationally in batting average, home runs, RBI, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage simultaneously.

She recorded a hit in 46 of 57 games. She was named National Player of the Week by both the NFCA and Softball America after going 9-for-13 with three home runs and 11 RBI in a single series against North Florida. She earned First Team NFCA All-Region and First Team All-ASUN honors and was ranked No. 49 in Softball America's Top 100 at season's end.

Before Stetson, she spent two seasons at Florida Southwestern hitting .383 with 73 RBI. She's a player who has gotten better at every level, which is exactly what FSU's assistant coach Travis Wilson noted: "She has gotten better every year throughout her college career. She elevated her game through multiple levels, and we have no doubt that her game will transition well into the Power Four level."

The transition from mid-major to ACC competition is the real unknown. Edmiaston's numbers against ASUN pitching were historic. How that translates against ACC arms and defenses is a genuine open question, and it's fair to ask it.

What works in her favor: she walks at an elite rate (.561 OBP), she hits for power to all fields, and she's a reliable first baseman. Those are skills that travel. FSU is also still pursuing Oklahoma's Tia Milloy, and if both land, the left side of that infield becomes genuinely formidable heading into 2027.

Walker becomes the third FSU woman to receive the outdoor Performer of the Year award, and the first person in program history to sweep both the indoor and outdoor yearly awards in the same season. We covered her Bowerman semifinalist nomination yesterday, but the ACC's recognition adds an official conference capstone to one of the great individual seasons in FSU track history.

Coach Matt Kane put it simply: "For Shenese to be named performer of the year means a great deal. Especially with all the other great athletes in the conference." The ACC had three of the 19 individual NCAA champions this outdoor season. Walker beat the field anyway.

Rylee Blade had a debut collegiate season that earned her a spot in FSU's record books multiple times over. The California native set the school record in the 5,000 meters at the Penn Relays (15:29.45) and became the first FSU freshman in program history to win the ACC women's 10,000 meters, setting a meet record in the process (32:35.75).

She finished seventh at the NCAA Outdoor National Championship in the 10,000 while setting a new FSU school record and U20 American record (32:08.83), earning First Team All-America honors in the process.

Assistant coach Cody Hasley: "Rylee works tirelessly to achieve her goals. She works incredibly hard and consistently brings out the best in those around her. This is just the beginning."

FSU soccer, coming off its fifth NCAA title and second in three years, released its 2026 schedule Thursday. The Seminoles play 16 regular-season games, 10 in the ACC, plus a preseason exhibition against Sporting Jacksonville on August 7.

Seven of this year's opponents made the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Home ACC opponents include NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Duke, and Virginia Tech. Duke is coming off a College Cup appearance. Notre Dame was a No. 1 seed in 2025. The schedule does not get easier after winning a title.

New in 2026: tickets will be required for all fans at home games at the Seminole Soccer Complex. Season ticket renewals open June 29. Single game tickets go on sale August 3. FSU students with their FSUID still get in free.

The regular season opens August 13 at Stetson. The home opener is August 20 against FAU. The rivalry game at Florida comes August 23. Conference play begins September 11 at home against NC State.

The FSU women's lacrosse program placed 11 student-athletes on the 2025-26 All-ACC Academic Team. The group includes three freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors, and one senior, and spans the program's top contributors on both ends of the field.

Leading scorer Meg Kenny (30 goals, 13 assists, 43 points) and second-leading scorer Summer Harrell (26 goals, 11 assists) headlined the list. Senior Faith Wooters earned her third career All-ACC Academic selection. Julia Ward logged 532 minutes in goal with 70 saves. It's a strong cohort, especially for a program in its early years of competing at this level.