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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Florida State landed a top-40 pledge in the 2026 class with a commitment from four-star safety Izayia Williams on Wednesday night, a recruiting victory for coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles amid their stunning 0-2 start to this season.
Williams, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound defender from Tavares, Florida, is the No. 39 prospect in the ESPN Junior 300. He was previously committed to Syracuse before he pulling back on Aug. 4.
ESPN’s fifth-ranked safety in the 2026 cycle, Williams is now the highest-rated member of a 2026 Florida State class that includes three other ESPN 300 pledges.
Williams’ commitment arrives just days after he took a pair of in-state visits in Week 1. He was at Florida on Saturday to see Miami hand Billy Napier and the Gators a 41-17 home defeat, then visited Florida State during its 28-13 loss to Boston College on Monday night.
Williams told ESPN the atmosphere around the Florida State coaching staff and his connection with Norvell ultimately bolstered his attachment to the Seminoles, swaying his commitment in the immediate aftermath of the program’s second consecutive defeat.
“Every program has a bad game — that doesn’t determine what a program is really,” Williams said. “When I talked to Coach Norvell, it was different than talking to other coaches. I could feel that difference. He wants me to be something great there someday.”
Williams, who picked Florida State over Florida and Miami, is the sixth member of the Seminoles 2026 class. He headlines a group of ESPN Junior 300 pledges that includes No. 7 pocket passer Brady Smigiel (No. 64 in the ESPN 300) and in-state four-star athletes Efrem White (No. 111) and Darryon Williams (No. 222).
The Seminoles’ 2025 class checked in at No. 18 in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the cycle released Wednesday.
Williams is in his junior season at Florida’s Tavares High School. Previously expected to continue with a schedule of campus visits this fall, he said he no longer planned to take any trips after his commitment to Florida State.
“I never really got this feeling with any other schools — it was like an iffy feeling for me,” Williams said. “But this is different.”
The Seminoles are off in Week 2 after crashing out of the AP Top 25 earlier this week. They return to action in Week 3 to host Memphis on Sept. 14 on ESPN.