Recruiting
Florida State football added two players to its 2026 recruiting class over the weekend — the first being Luke Francis, a potential diamond in the rough from across the pond that will play for Coral Cables High this season as part of the NFL Academy program:
Florida State was his third scholarship offer following Syracuse and Georgia State. He received the FSU offer on June 18 as an offensive lineman (guard) and quickly scheduled an official visit for the following weekend. Check out this nice article from 247’s Chris Nee for some great quotes from Francis after getting the offer. Programs like the Texas Longhorns, Florida Gators, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Maryland Terrapins are also interested.
Francis got to match up against powerhouses IMG Academy and De La Salle High School as part of the NFL Academy. His highlights, all on the defensive side of the ball, show that he has decent movement and pursuit for his size. He is difficult to move despite needing to work on his leverage, and when he gets hold of the ball carrier with his insane wingspan it’s a wrap. He has good upper and lower body strength and the developmental tools are apparent.
247Sports Composite has yet to put out a ranking for him, and he’s a bit of an enigma, having only played football for less than two years. As they say, you can’t coach size, and Francis certainly has plenty of it. He’ll undoubtedly be extremely raw coming into college, but the positive side is that he won’t need to unlearn bad habits and will truly be a blank slate for Herb Hand.
On Sunday, the Seminoles added a quarterback to the class, officially flipping four-star Jaden O’Neal:
O’Neal is a 6’3”, 215 quarterback who will play for Mustang High in Oklahoma this season, having previously played high school ball in California. He racked up 30 offers and FSU beat out some major programs for his services in addition to OU. 247Sports Composite has O’Neal as the 205th best player in the nation (14th best QB and the best player in Oklahoma).
O’Neal was a solid commitment to the Sooners until they fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and replaced him with Ben Arbuckle. The Sooners continued to recruit other highly-rated quarterback prospects, zeroing in on past FSU target Bowe Bentley in particular, which led O’Neal to start searching elsewhere and eventually decommitting on June 19. After a ton of hard work, the FSU staff completed the flip today.
O’Neal throws a fantastic deep ball and has advanced accuracy at this stage. I’d consider him a top-5 pure passer in this cycle and his mechanics are great. He isn’t as mobile as you’d like to see and therefore isn’t a perfect fit in Gus Malzahn’s offense, but he can certainly operate within it and shows good footwork. This was, quite simply, a recruitment that FSU had to win after failing to gain traction with its two other primary targets in Keisean Henderson and Landon Duckworth.
O’Neal played in 10 games in his junior campaign and totaled 3,040 yards on a 61% completion percentage. He threw 28 touchdowns and only four interceptions. His sophomore season resulted in 2,475 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on a 61% completion percentage in 11 games.
The Seminoles did lose a commit — three-star offensive lineman Xaiver Payne. From our recruiting thread:
Florida State Recruiting Class of 2026
Football
All Sports
Florida State baseball’s Jamie Arnold, Alex Lodise and Myles Bailey all tacked on additional All-American honors over the weekend, this time from Baseball America:
This is the fourth All-America honors this season for Arnold and Lodise and the second for Bailey. The trio was recognized by Perfect Game on June 10, with Arnold and Lodise on the First Team and Bailey on the Freshman First Team. The NCBWA named Arnold and Lodise First Team All-Americans on June 11, while the ABCA bestowed Arnold with First Team distinction and Lodise with Second Team accolades on June 13.
To headline the 2025 postseason awards, Lodise was named the recipient of the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy as the national player of the year on June 13. He also is a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
The trio helped the Seminoles to a second consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2025 with a 42-16 record. As they all earned All-ACC honors, FSU went 17-10 in the conference and finished in second place with a .630 winning percentage. The ACC runner-up finish and No. 2 seed at the conference tournament were the team’s best since 2014. Arnold and Lodise were both selected as team captains in 2025.
FSU soccer has locked in its 2025 schedule:
FSU will play its lone tune-up match at home against Alabama on Friday, August 8, at 6 p.m. before kicking off the regular season with an in-state rivalry match against Florida on Thursday, August 14, at 7 p.m. as previously announced. This marks the earliest start to a season in program history and first meeting between the Seminoles and Gators in an opening match since 2000.
Florida State will host FIU on Sunday, August 17, before making the program’s first visit to Kansas since 2003 on Thursday, August 28. The Seminoles will return to the Sunshine State to host Stetson on September 4 before concluding non-conference play at Florida Atlantic on September 7.
The reigning conference champions will open ACC play at home against Louisville before entering a three-game road stretch in eight days across the Atlantic coast. The away run will begin at Syracuse before facing North Carolina in a rematch of last season’s ACC Tournament Championship where FSU earned its fifth-consecutive title. The Seminoles finish the stretch with a Sunday afternoon battle at NC State.
Florida State will look to extend its five-match winning streak over Miami at home on Friday, October 3, at 7 p.m. before the away match at Notre Dame the following Thursday. The Seminoles will meet Stanford and California on October 16 and October 19, respectively, for the first time in ACC play. FSU will play Stanford for the first time since claiming its fourth national championship in 2023 and host the Cardinal for the first time while the Seminoles welcome California for the first time since 2009.
FSU closes out the regular season with a Thursday night road match at Virginia on October 23 prior to hosting the national runners-up Wake Forest on October 30. Florida State will await the results of conference play to determine seeding and qualification to the 2025 ACC Women’s Soccer Tournament.
2025 Florida State Soccer Schedule
Aug. 8: Alabama (Home)
Aug. 14: Florida (Home)
Aug. 17: FIU (Home)
Aug. 28: Kansas (Away)
Sep. 4: Stetson (Home)
Sep. 7: Florida Atlantic (Away)
Sep. 11: Louisville (Home)
Sep. 14: Syracuse (Away)
Sep. 18: North Carolina (Away)
Sep. 21: NC State (Away)
Oct. 3: Miami (Home)
Oct. 9: Notre Dame (Away)
Oct. 16: Stanford (Home)
Oct. 19: California (Home)
Oct. 23: Virginia (Away)
Oct. 30: Wake Forest (Home)
Cal Raleigh:
- First switch-hitter EVER with 30+ HR before the All-Star break
- Fastest to 30 HR in a season (75 games) since Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez in 2001
- Joins Ken Griffey Jr. (3x) as the only Mariners players to hit 30+ HR before the All-Star break pic.twitter.com/S3UOjZrdDr
— MLB (@MLB) June 21, 2025
List of @MLB players to reach 30 home runs before the end of June:
Babe Ruth (2x)
Ken Griffey Jr. (2x)
Sammy Sosa (2x)
Mark McGwire
Barry Bonds
Luis Gonzalez
Albert Pujols
Chris Davis
Shohei Ohtani
Aaron Judge
CAL RALEIGH (first catcher to do it)
— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) June 21, 2025
Florida State women’s lacrosse announced 14 transfers on Friday:
All 14 incoming student-athletes are transfers from Division I institutions. Four incoming transfers come directly from Atlantic Coast Conference programs and five transfers come directly from Big Ten programs. Four of the last five national champions have come from the ACC while 20 of the last 21 national champions have come from either the ACC or Big Ten conferences.
Sienna Cassella | Midfielder | 5-7 | Bradenton, Fla.| St. Stephen’s Episcopal School/Rutgers
Played first season at Rutgers…appeared in 15 games with three starts…recorded one assist…collected 10 ground balls and 10 draw controls with six caused turnovers…made the dean’s list in both semesters at Rutgers…pursuing her bachelor’s degree in finance…finished high school career with 403 points on 282 goals and 121 assists … also tallied 468 draw controls, 237 ground balls and 157 caused turnovers during time at St. Stephen’s… three-time captain and four-time MVP…led high school to two state appearances and broke every record in school history…three-time USA Lacrosse All-American…USA Lacrosse Academic All American…USA Lacrosse All-American Jackie Pitts Award recipient…two-time New Balance All-American South Highlight Team…two-time USA Today High School Lacrosse Player of the Year…named a 2024 Positive Coaching Alliance Triple-Impact Competitor…four-time First Team All-Area…2024 All USA Today High School National Top 50 Girls Lacrosse Team...member of National Honor Society…played golf in high school…two-time golf team MVP and captain senior year…2023 Saint Stephen’s Falcon Award recipient…loves to golf, bake, and spending time with family…parents are Patrick and Elena Cassella…father played baseball at Tampa…sister to Michael Cassella, who graduated from Florida State…her grandfather, Charles Tomeo, played lacrosse at Fairleigh Dickinson…her uncle, also named Charles Tomeo, was a quarterback at Florida State from 1994-1996.
Kate Christos | Midfielder | 5-7 | Madison, N.J. | Madison High School/San Diego State
Played first four seasons at San Diego State…appeared in 48 games with 40 starts…scored 40 goals with 27 assists for 67 career points…collected 72 ground balls and caused 33 turnovers with 141 draw controls…two-time Big 12 Midfielder of the Week in 2025…led the Big 12 in ground balls per game and fifth in draw controls per game in 2025…recorded two hat tricks against Eastern Michigan and Cincinnati in 2025…led the Aztecs in draw controls (54), ground balls (37), and caused turnovers (15) in 2025…San Diego State Scholar-Athlete in all four seasons…pursuing a master’s degree in marketing management communication…played basketball and soccer in high school...named 2021 US Lacrosse All-American…recieved 2021 The Varsity M Club Award…multi-Freedom South division first team honoree…all-conference honors in both basketball and soccer…recipient of the 2021 Morris County Athletic Directors Scholar-Athlete Award…has two dogs and enjoys being outdoors…parents are Kim and Andy Christos…mother played lacrosse at William & Mary…father played lacrosse and soccer at Hobart…sister to Andy Jr. Christos, who played basketball at Penn State, Mae Christos, and Georgia Christos, currently committed to play soccer at Providence. She is also cousins with Phoebe Christos, who plays lacrosse at Villanova, and John Gerard, who played soccer at Colgate.
Superia Clark | Defender | 5-5 | Wyoming, Del. | Dover High School/Syracus
Played first three seasons at Syracuse…appeared in 46 games with 34 starts…collected 28 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers…scored one goal and won eight draw controls…started every game in the Syracuse defense her freshman season…pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology…two-time USA Lacrosse All-American…two-time All-State First Team honoree…ranked No. 2 in the state of Delaware by Delaware Online…recorded 73 goals and 32 assists as a senior in high school…became high school’s first-ever All-American…HS team captain for two seasons…tied for the team lead in goals and assists as a senior…member of the National Honor Society…played field hockey in high school…can solve a Rubik’s cube…her mother is Tiffany Smith…stepfather is Foster Trader…father is Craig Clark…her aunt, Tyresa Smith, played basketball at Delaware and was drafted 18th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2007 WNBA Draft, playing for four seasons in the league.
Jordan Conversano | Defender | 5-9 | Huntington, N.Y. | Harborfields High School/Johns Hopkin
Played first four seasons at Johns Hopkins…made five appearances, forcing one ground ball……graduated from Johns Hopkins University…named to Academic All-Big Ten Team in three consecutive seasons (2023, 2024, 2025)…pursuing a master’s degree of social work…competed in field hockey and indoor track and field in high school…named All-Suffolk County Team in high school…member of National Honor Society…raised ducks as pets with her sister…enjoys skiing…parents are Robin and Christopher Conversano…mother played field hockey and lacrosse at Hofstra…sister to Matthew, who played lacrosse at Western Connecticut, and Mackenzie Conversano, who will play lacrosse at Florida State.
Reilly Hunter | Defender | 5-9 | Toronto, Canada | Birchmount Park Collegiate/San Diego Stat
Played first four seasons at San Diego State…appeared in 42 games with 32 starts…collected 35 ground balls and caused 22 turnovers with 20 draw controls…recorded two goals and two assists…team captain at SDSU in 2024/25…named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honoree in 2025…graduated from San Diego State with cum laude honors…named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll in 2023-24…four-time Dean’s List recipient and San Diego State Scholar-Athlete…pursuing a master’s degree in public interest media & communication…won Canadian lacrosse national championship with Team Ontario in 2019…played ice hockey and track & field in high school…became the Toronto City Champion in 300m hurdles in 2018…named varsity track MVP in high school…was introduced to lacrosse by playing box lacrosse…all of three of her brothers wore #44 in their playing days…parents are Mary Ormsby and Paul Hunter…mother played volleyball at Ohio State and was inducted into Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame…father played lacrosse at Siena…sister to Rob, Sam, who played ice hockey at Queens, and Will Hunter.
Meg Kenny | Midfielder | 5-6 | Aquebogue, N.Y. | St. Anthony’s High School/Maryland
Played first season at Maryland…appeared in nine games…scored two goals…pursing her bachelor’s degree in elementary education…two-time USA Lacrosse All-American in 2023 and 2024…selected to the 2023 National Team Development Program (NTDP) National Combine…Brogden Cup winner with the 2023 USA U18 team…IL Women five-star recruit out of high school…No. 29 recruit in the Class of 2024…selected to the Team USA U16 squad…two-time Under Armour 150 in 2021 and 2022…MVP of 2019 Trilogy camp…outstanding player at Long Island 99 showcase…2022 Juniors Open…HLA School Girls Finalist at the US National Tournament…2022 Workhorse Award St. Anthony’s High School…first team All-Long Island…three-time CHSAA All League recipient 2022-2024…St. Anthony’s High School honor roll all four years…competed in cross country and track…traveled an hour to school everyday…parents are John and Kiersten Kenny…sister to Lauren, played lacrosse at Stony Brook, and Johnathan Kenny.
Katie McLean | Defender | 5-9 | Tewksbury, N.J. | Voorhees High School/Colorado
Played first four seasons at Colorado…appeared in 37 games with 16 starts…collected 26 ground balls and caused 24 turonvers…scored one goal and won 15 draw controls…two-time Pac-12 Spring Academic Honor Roll honoree in 2023, 2024…named to the Colorado dean’s list twice in 2022, 2025…named to the Colorado Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in all four seasons…named first team all-county and first-team All-Skyland Conference in high school in 2021…named to the second team All-Group in 2021…2021 Lehigh Lacrosse Player of the Year…2021 Hunterdon Warren Scholar-Athlete of the Year…played field hockey in high school…2021 New Jersey Sectional champion in field hockey…enjoys skiing, golfing, and visits the humane society to play with older dogs…played against the Dutch national lacrosse team in Amsterdam…parents are Sheila and Bill McLean…father played linebacker at Pittsburgh…sister to Megan Voetsch, who played golf at Penn State…her uncle, Joe McLean, played basketball at Arizona.
Marleigh Sanders | Attacker | 5-9 | Milton, Ga. | Milton High School/Notre Dame
Played first four seasons at Notre Dame…appeared in 11 games…scored a goal with four assists…participated in the ACC Women’s Lacrosse Student Athlete Advisory Group…named to the 2023 and 2024 All-ACC Academic team…Monogram Jacket recipient in 2023…graduated from Notre Dame college of business with a bachelor’s degree in management consulting…pursuing a master’s degree in business administration…No.29 Ranked Inside Lacrosse Recruit Class of 2021…three-time GHSA State Champion…three-time Under Armour All American…2020 Under Armour All American MVP…two-time GHSA 1st Team All State…played in the Israeli National Team 2018 World Games…Under Armour All-American Watchlists 2021…can drive a manual transmission vehicle…parents are Eric and Aimee Sanders…father played basketball, golf, and lacrosse at American International…sister to Lily and Dean Sanders, who plays lacrosse at Bucknell.
Erin Schaefer | Defender | 5-4 | Sayville, N.Y. | Sayville High School/Stanford
Played first four seasons at Stanford…appeared in 28 games…collected 14 ground balls and caused seven turnovers…two-time Pac-12 Champion…three-consecutive conference academic honor rolls from 2023-2025…graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, and society…three-time Under Armour All-American…2018 Nike Elite 120…played club for Long Island Yellow Jackets…played soccer in high school…enjoys watching sci-fi movies, painting, and collaging…parents are Tina and Tom Schaefer…mother played soccer at SUNY Oneonta…sister to Maddy, who played lacrosse at LIU, and twin brother Tyler Schaefer.
Reagan Terrell | Defender | 5-10 | Cary, N.C. | Panther Creek High School/Davidson
Played first four seasons at Davidson…made 31 appearances with 22 starts…recorded 19 ground balls, caused 19 turnovers, recorded six turnovers with two draw controls in three seasons of play…appeared in 10 games with five starts in 2024…caused four turnovers and collected two ground balls…earned the team’s Most Improved Player award in 2024…started in all 17 games in 2025…collected 17 ground balls, caused 15 turnovers, and two draw controls…recorded five multi-ground ball games, three multi-ground ball games in the last four games of the season…achieved career-highs in ground balls and caused turnovers against Winthrop in 2025…graduated from Davidson College with magna cum laude honors…named to 2025 A-10 All-Academic Team…named to the A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in all four seasons…pursuing a master’s degree in sport management…competed in track and field in high school…enjoys playing pickleball, grandfather coaches the sport…parents are Matt and Katherine Terrell…sister to Kaylee Terrell Sandelin.
Catrina Tobin | Goalie | 5-9 | Sudbury, Mass. | Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School/UMass
Played first three seasons at UMass…appeared in 52 games with 37 starts in goal…recorded over 2400 minutes…made 302 saves with 30 career wins…captained the 2025 A-10 champions…2024 A-10 All-Championship team…2024 A-10 Second Team honoree…2023 A-10 All-Rookie team…two-time A-10 Rookie of the Week…graduated from UMass with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies and a certificate in Criminal Justice…earned Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in all four years…pursuing her master’s degree in criminal justice…senior captain of the 2018 Dual County League champions…Dual County League All-Star sophomore and junior seasons…Dual County League All-Star honorable mention freshmen year…selected for Shriners All Star game her junior seasons…two-time lacrosse captain at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School…ranked number one goalkeeper in the Dual County League…held a 55% save percentage…earned athlete of the year at her high school…EMGCLA All-Star 1st Team…Metrowest All-Star…recognized by the Boston Globe and Boston Herald as All-Scholastic… number one ranked player in the Dual County League as a sophomore…earned Dual County League All-Star…guided her team to three Dual County League Lacrosse Championships in 2018, 2019 and 2021…played ice hockey in high school…has two dogs, Brody and Sully…parents are Sean and Deirdre Tobin…sister to Ryan and Fiona Tobin.
Julia Ward | Goalie | 5-7 | Forest Hill, Md. | The John Carroll School/Maryland
Played first season at Maryland…appeared in six games with over 55 minutes in goal…made six saves…made the dean’s list twice in one season at Maryland…pursuing her bachelor’s degree in accounting…appeared on 2023 USA Select U18 team…Baltimore First Team All-Metro…IAAM All Conference 2024…three-time Baltimore All America Champions 2021-2023…four-year varsity starter…515+ Career Saves…three-time First Team All County 2022-2024…SkyWalkers 2024 Blue…STX Athlete…first honors in all four years in high school…played field hockey in high school…2023 varsity team captain in field hockey…two-time Second Team All-Harford County in field hockey…parents are Brian and Angela Ward…father played lacrosse at Salisbury and claimed the program’s second D-III national championship in 1995…the Ward family has two sets of twins in the family…twin sister, Lydia, will play lacrosse at Florida State…sister to twin brothers, Giovanni and Brendan Ward.
Lydia Ward | Midfielder | 5-3 | Forest Hill, Md. | The John Carroll School/Maryland
Played first season at Maryland…appeared in 10 games…made the dean’s list at Maryland…pursuing her bachelor’s degree in hospitality…appeared on the 2023 USA Select U18 and 2022 USA Select U16 teams…five-star recruit out of high school…#18 in Class of 2024: Inside Lacrosse…#30 in Freshman Class 2024: Inside Lacrosse…All America Senior Game 2024…2023 and 2024 IAAM All Conference team…four-year varsity starter…captain and leading scorer junior and senior year…100+ career goals, points and ground balls…two-time Baltimore All America Champions 2022 & 2023…USA U20 National Team Tryout…SkyWalkers 2024 Blue…two-time First Team All County 2023 & 2024…Brogden Cup Coach’s Award: USA U16…Vice President of Spanish National Society…National Honors Society member…STX Athlete…played soccer, basketball, and swimming in high school…parents are Brian and Angela Ward…father played lacrosse at Salisbury and claimed the program’s second D-III national championship in 1995…the Ward family has two sets of twins in the family…twin sister, Julia, will play lacrosse at Florida State…sister to twin brothers, Giovanni and Brendan Ward.
Faith Wooters | Midfielder | 5-8 | McKinney, Texas | McKinney Boyd High School/Syracus
Played first two seasons at Syracuse…appeared in seven games…two-time NCAA Semifinalist…2024 ACC Regular Season Champion…Syracuse Dean’s List in Fall 2024…two-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree in 2023 and 2024…pursuing her bachelor’s degree in management information systems…2021 Texas state champion in high school…Adrenaline All American…recorded 300+ points in high school…competed in track and field in high school…has two dogs and loves to wakeboard…parents are Rebecca and Scott Wooters…father played football at Maryland…sister to Nicolaas and Georgia Wooters.