Jacksonville’s Brysen Wright isn’t your average high school wide receiver. He’s the No. 1 overall prospect in the entire 2028 recruiting class. The 6-foot-3.5, 210-pound sophomore has already collected scholarship offers from nearly every powerhouse program in college football. And just a few months ago, Florida State appeared to be firmly in the mix for his services. But something changed over the course of FSU’s 2025 season. And this shift should worry Seminole fans far beyond just one recruit.​

Amid Florida State’s 40-21 loss to rival Florida, Brysen’s father, Colby Wright, posted a tweet that cut straight to the heart of the program’s current crisis. He wrote, “Not being able talk to my son about going to FSU saddens me greatly……” 

The tweet came with no additional context needed. The subtext was clear after watching the Seminoles finish 5-7 with their second consecutive losing season. For a father who presumably grew up watching FSU’s dynasty years and wanted to share that legacy with his son, the current state of the program has made that conversation impossible. 

In a follow-up tweet, Wright made his position even clearer: “Aye man, dem people was super terrible last year and slightly less terrible this year. My son nor I intend for him to join a terrible situation. Hopefully 2026 is a great year and we can talk about it. Yall don’t get too worked up out there. 😅😂”

The timing of Wright’s public disappointment coincides with perhaps the most concerning stretch of Mike Norvell’s tenure in Tallahassee. Under the head coach, FSU has now lost six consecutive games to rivals, falling to Florida, Miami, and Clemson in back-to-back years. Five of those six defeats came by double digits, and in the other, Miami built a 28-3 lead inside Doak Campbell Stadium. 

What’s more, the road struggles have become almost inexplicable for a program of FSU’s stature. The Seminoles’ road game losing streak has now extended beyond a staggering 735 days. 

What makes losing out on Brysen Wright particularly stinging is understanding just how special he is. Back in July, Wright made a jaw-dropping one-handed catch at the NFL Flag Championships. The catch went viral across social media and caught the attention of NFL superstars. Patrick Mahomes was shocked as he tweeted, “Yooo what? 😂😂😂.” Former wide receiver Chad Johnson also proclaimed, “The catch that young man made from the Jacksonville team on ESPN is better than any NFL catch to date 😱.”

Rivals Director of Scouting Charles Power described him as having “outstanding movement skills and burst” while being “incredibly physically advanced” for his age. Earlier this year, Wright told Rivals that FSU was among the schools he liked, noting “Florida State, Miami and Georgia are easy to get to and close to home, so I like that about them. They have great coaches, too, and they produce players.”

But now, that list would look drastically different. For FSU, the challenge is about stopping the bleeding before the program’s recruiting footprint in Florida erodes completely. Between the road game losing streak at 11 currently and a 2-10 record last year, it’s tough to blame anyone for wanting a fresh start somewhere else.

You see, Mike Norvell knows how to win. The 2023 season, where the team pulled off a 13-1 record, was evidence of his ability to build good teams. But these back-to-back losing campaigns have not helped his case, and now he is facing the consequences. Norvell will continue as FSU’s HC in 2026, and this time, he has to make some dire and much-needed changes. That process starts with rebuilding trust and retaining players.

Castellanos’ cryptic comments add to FSU’s uncertainty

Elite recruits like Brysen Wright are hesitating to commit to FSU’s future. But the program’s current players aren’t exactly projecting confidence either. After the 40-21 loss to Florida that officially ended FSU’s bowl hopes, quarterback Tommy Castellanos made some telling comments that had Seminole fans doing double-takes.

“Season has come to an end,” Castellanos told reporters. “They got a chance to get it right next year and find the right guys.”

When pressed directly about whether he’d return to Tallahassee, his answer didn’t exactly inspire confidence: “Yeah, I hope to be here, but I don’t know what the future holds.”

The eligibility question makes Castellanos’ situation tricky. He’s technically out of eligibility. He played in five games as a true freshman at UCF in 2022, two seasons at Boston College, and now one at FSU. 

But that fifth game in UCF was in the ACC Championship, where he was forced to play despite his redshirt year owing to injuries in the quarterback position. He’d need an NCAA waiver to return, which is yet to be decided. But plenty of players in similar spots have gotten them approved.