Legacy recruits are one of the few counters to the NIL arms race that affects every other part of recruitment. But some programs can’t even get that right. Florida State had a strong chance to land legacy recruit Julian Cromartie, but reported lack of communication from Mike Norvell’s staff has frustrated his father, Antonio Cromartie, who openly called out the situation.

WR Julian Cromartie is a 2027 recruit who has offers from top teams like Arizona State, Clemson, Kansas, Kentucky, and Arkansas, but the one that matters the most is FSU. But with such players that have a family connection to the program, the approach needs to be different. The Seminoles did offer Julian, but didn’t make any further moves to secure his commitment. That frustration was clearly visible on FSU’s former legendary CB Antonio Cromartie’s X post.

“We just offer anyone now,” Antonio Cromartie said on X. “Got people on staff that can’t recruit or claim to be top recruiters.”

Well, this isn’t the first time he raised such remarks. A few days back, Cromartie took to X speaking about how all are assuming that he is involved in his son’s recruitment, but that’s not the case.

“Can some of y’all please stop asking about my son Julian and FSU?” Antonio Cromartie said on X, “This isn’t my journey; it’s his recruiting process. And let’s be real, FSU hasn’t talked to my son since they offered him in August of 2025!!”

These posts clearly show Mike Norvell isn’t showing much of an interest in getting Julian into the team. Other programs like Clemson and Kentucky are actively hosting him on campus but Florida State has not even fixed a date for his official visit.

College football programs often treat legacy recruiting as a high-stakes balance of honoring family tradition while competing against rival programs that have no such sentimental ties. While a player’s father or uncle playing for a school provides a “foot in the door,” coaches often go to extreme lengths to lock these players in. This can range from leveraging former teammates of the father, to creating deeply personal campus visits.

Programs like Georgia and Notre Dame frequently leverage their rich family histories to secure top talent. For instance, Georgia recently signed legacies Anthony Lonon Jr. and Carter Luckie, whose fathers were part of the same Bulldogs recruiting class years prior. In these cases, the recruitment process often feels more like a family reunion. Coaches may invite the player’s father to help lead the tour of the facility, allowing him to point out his own name in the record books or his old locker, effectively making the recruit feel like the program is their rightful home.

Notre Dame is currently working day and night to bring in their legacy recruit Julius Jones Jr., into their 2027 class. His father, Julius Jones, had been a remarkable player at Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman and his staff is leveraging the family connect the right way. Mike Norvell isn’t showing any interest in bringing the young Cromartie into his program.

It’s not like he is not a good player. Back in 2024, he showed his skills on the field, playing in six games and recording 14 catches for 276 yards and 6 touchdowns. And even earn 1st team all league honors as a sophomore. This shows the kind of potential he has, plus knowing his father’s legacy and dominance on the field, this was FSU’s best shot to bring a top player after a disappointing season.

What makes all this worse is that the team doesn’t even have a single wide receiver committed for the 2027 class. And even then, they are showing zero interest in bringing Cromartie into the program.

For now, it is hard to tell whether it is a gap in communication or total disinterest, but Cromartie is making sure he looks for other options.

Where exactly is Julian’s recruitment going?

Since FSU isn’t really recruiting him hard right now, Julian’s recruitment is wide open, and he’s got plenty of big-time programs knocking on his door. He’s already pulled in over 20 offers from some of the best schools in the country.

Even though he’s an FSU legacy, schools like Kentucky, Kansas, and Texas are the ones putting in the most work lately to show him he’s a top priority for their 2027 class. Out of everyone, Kentucky and Kansas seem to be making the biggest moves. Julian recently took a trip to Lawrence in the first week of May for Kansas’ visit.

Meanwhile, Kentucky has been consistent with their communication throughout his recruitment ever since they offered. Their wide receivers coach, Joe Price III, has been on his feet. Maybe that’s something his dad would admire. According to On3’s RPM, they got an 88% chance to lock him. Julian already has an official visit lined up in Lexington for June 5th.

Then you’ve got Clemson. Julian is actually heading there for an official visit on May 29th, just before his Kentucky trip. His father recently went on social media to defend this visit after FSU fans started chirping about him wearing orange.

Finally, keep an eye on Texas. Since Julian plays in the Woodlands, the Longhorns are the home-state team and have been keeping a close eye on him since they offered back in January. He’s already visited Austin for their “Fan Day” and attended a game last fall, so the interest is definitely there.

At this point, it’s anywhere but FSU for Julian.