The 2026 recruiting class for the Florida State Seminoles has a few talented defensive linemen already, but you can never have enough beef in the trenches. Defensive line coach Terrance Knighton just added another prospect to #Tribe26, and he’s a very good one. In fact, he’s now the highest-rated commitment in the class:
Earnest Rankins is a 6-foot-6, 285 pound defensive lineman from Southwest DeKalb in Decatur, GA. Rankins is considered the 117th best player in the nation by 247Sports Composite (14th best DL, 14th best player in GA).
He chose Florida State over fellow finalist the Auburn Tigers, along with over 30 other offers, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes, Ole Miss Rebels, Oregon Ducks, South Carolina Gamecocks, SMU Mustangs, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, and USC Trojans.