Forwarded this email from a friend? Subscribe at the button below

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

🏆 This Week in Garnet & Gold 🏆

1. ⚾ Diamond Domination: Alex Lodise lifts the Dick Howser Trophy, Jamie Arnold joins him as a consensus All-American, and Jamir Watkins ends FSU’s four-year NBA Draft drought.

2. 🔁 Recruiting Surge: Four blue-chip flips/commits vault the 2026 class to No. 8 nationally—and five-star fireworks loom on July’s horizon.

3. 🔥 Portal Power Arms: Link Jarrett reels in 99 mph Oregon RHP Cole Stokes, Virginia curve-artist Bryson Moore, and former top-150 MSU righty Cade O’Leary.

4. 🏛️ Hall of Fame Week: Pitching legends Gene Ammann & Mike Loynd head to the College Baseball Hall, while Lonni Alameda joins the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

5. 🏈 Talkin’ Season: QB1 Tommy Castellanos tells Bama “there’s no Saban to save them,” and special-teams auditions reveal two booming—but unproven—legs.

Shop Cornbread Hemp products for daily wellness, moments of delight, & everything in between.

The good life looks different for everyone, so Cornbread crafts products that make well-rounded wellness easy and accessible. Their Three R’s—Relief, Relaxation, and Revelry—support your physical, mental, and social well-being, inside and out. Their premium hemp products from beverages and gummies, to topicals and tinctures, come from a brand that offers: 🌿 Full Spectrum Hemp — The cornerstone of our wellness offerings 🌱 All-Natural Ingredients — No synthetics, artificials, or additives 🌾 Kentucky-Grown — Honoring 250 years of hemp heritage 🛠 Vertically Integrated — Quality assurance from seed to shelf 👨‍👩‍👧 Family-Owned — Built on trust, values, and integrity 🤝 Exceptional Customer Experience — Hospitality meets high standards

🏆️ Hardware Harvest: Lodise, Arnold & Watkins 🏆️ 

Florida State’s trophy case needed an extension:

In two seasons Lodise now owns a cycle, a walk-off slam, and every major award not named Golden Spikes (he’s a finalist). Arnold’s 119 Ks rank 9th nationally, while Watkins becomes the 52nd Seminole drafted. The diamond pipeline is humming.

🔁 Summer Surge: A Top-10 Class by June 🔁

Four new blue-chips in seven days pushed Tribe 26 to 20 commits (12 four-stars):

• TE Xavier Tiller – No. 9 TE, flipped from Auburn

• WR Devin Carter – legacy son of Dexter Carter, flipped from Auburn

• DB Jay Timmons – son of Lawrence Timmons, flipped from Indiana

• WR Jasen Lopez – dual-sport slot weapon, stole from Miami

Where things stand

First 5⭐ domino? LB Xavier Griffin chose Bama (as predicted) over the weekend, but the Noles are in the hunt for both Chauncey Kennon and 5⭐️ WR Calvin Russell.

🔥 Portal Power: 99 MPH & High-Spin Help 🔥

Add them to returning ace Jamie Arnold, and Jarrett’s 2025 staff suddenly balances punch with depth.

🏛️ Hall of Fame Week: Legends Immortalized 🏛️

• Gene Ammann (’68-70) – 31-2 career, 1.43 ERA, 15-0 season with eight shutouts → College Baseball Hall of Fame.

• Mike Loynd (’83-86) – Golden Spikes, 45-10 career, still holds single-season wins (20) and Ks (223) → Hall classmate.

• Lonni Alameda – 800+ wins, 2018 national champ, five WCWS trips → Florida Sports Hall of Fame’s 2025 inductee.

The pitching heritage—and softball dynasty—are now etched in stone.

🏈 Talking Season: QB Fire & Special-Teams Reboot 🏈

Tommy Castellanos’ mic-drop: “They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I don’t see them stopping me.” August 30 vs Alabama just found its promo clip.

Special-teams depth chart

Booming legs abound, but replacing two All-Americans requires nerves of steel.

⚡ Quick Hits ⚡

• Volleyball drops a brutal 2025 slate: Pitt, Louisville, Stanford headline nine NCAA opponents.

• MLB: Cal Raleigh leads the majors with 32 HR and will headline the July 14 Home Run Derby.

• Hoops: FSU signs 6’11” Russian center Egor Ryzhov and locks a five-star hoops visit weekend for the Alabama football game.

• Track & XC: Neo Mosebi, Suus Altorf, Brooke Mullins, and Joe Farley earn CSC Academic All-District honors.

• 2027 Future 50: Five-star OT Mark Matthews and EDGE Chris Whitehead list FSU early; staff already scouting the next wave.

📅 On-Deck Calendar (July 1 – 8) 📅

(All times ET; recruiting announcements notoriously fluid.)

✍️ Sign-Off

That’s the week, Chief: trophies lifted, Hall doors opened, blue-chips boarded, and a quarterback talking spicy ahead of Bama. July arrives with commitment fireworks and camp countdowns—so keep that inbox refreshed.

Stay locked, stay loud, and—as always—Go Noles!
— The Chief