FSU Basketball Adds Blue Chip Guard to Talented 2026 Recruiting Class

Luke Loucks has been killing it on the recruiting trail in his first season as the head coach at Florida State, and he's turned the basketball team around recently. After starting ACC play with a 0-5 record, the Seminoles changed some things schematically and have now won 7 of the last 10 games.

FSU already had the 11th-best class in the country, having four-stars Marcis Ponder, Collin Paul, Brandon Bass Jr., and Jasen Lopez (who is already with the team) signed on. They've now added to that.

Four-star guard Martay Barnes, who recently reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026, has announced his commitment to Florida State. With his commitment, FSU now jumps to the 8th-best class in the country. Barnes was on campus for the Miami game on Tuesday, but also visited Auburn on February 21st after reclassifying.

Gods plan 🙏🏽 #Committed pic.twitter.com/x6IG0XvoDI
— Martay barnes (@ROCKOUTMARTAY) February 26, 2026

Luke Loucks made a concerted effort to lock down the state of Florida when it comes to recruiting, and they've done just that with his addition.

Barnes is an exciting score-first guard out of The Academy of Central Florida in Orlando. He's currently the 67th-ranked player in 247's composite rankings, and was a top-50 player in 2027 before he reclassified. Currently listed at 6'2", 170 pounds, some rankings like him as a 2-guard, but Florida State views him as a score-first point guard.

He has a very technically sound jumper and is capable of making contested threes at will, which could make him a perfect fit in Loucks' offense. Barnes is comparable to Cam Miles, who is already on the roster, but he's going to be a more natural fit in the ACC due to his better shooting ability, and he is also lightning quick.

An Early 2026-27 FSU Basketball Roster Preview

With the addition of Barnes, that gives Florida State five freshmen heading into next season, which is a lot in today's era of college basketball. The best teams are built on experience and transfers more than they are developmental recruits. Barnes should be good enough to play right away, but likely not good enough to start.

With the addition of Barnes, what is Florida State's roster going to look like next season?

They have five incoming freshmen locked in for next year: point guards Barnes and Jasen Lopez, wings Brandon Bass Jr. and Collin Paul, and much-needed big man Marcis Ponder. That's a lot of freshmen to rely on, which makes the transfer portal that much more important this cycle.

Robert McCray V, Kobe MaGee, Chauncey Wiggins, and Alex Steen are all seniors with no more eligibility. Lajae Jones and Shah Muhammad could technically have more eligibility, but they'd have to sue the NCAA for the extra year from their time playing in junior college. FSU would probably like to have Jones back, but that appears unlikely. That would be six spots open.

The point guard room is too young and too crowded. With Lopez and Barnes coming on board, the team will have decisions to make on current freshmen Cam Miles, who had some moments early in the season but hasn't played much recently, and Maximo Garcia-Plata, a Spanish prospect they like that has redshirted this year.

There's no reason to have that many young guards, and one or both of Miles and Garcia-Plata could transfer, looking for more playing time, while FSU looks to add a more experienced guard in the portal.

Martin Somerville still has two years remaining, and he has a lot of value as a bench scorer and ball-handler. He could work as a spot starter, but ideally, he's coming off the bench next season if he returns.

AJ Swinton is a total wildcard. He didn't play much early in the year, and he seemed like an obvious transfer candidate, but he's played more recently, and the team loves the defensive energy and athleticism. His offense is still rounding into form, but if he improves his shooting, he could be perfect for this team.

Thomas Bassong has also been an electric defender for this team. He can single-handedly shut down plays, and Florida State would love to hang onto him this offseason. If he continues to develop his three-pointer, he's going to be one of the best two-way players in the country.

Alier Maluk seems like an obvious transfer candidate. He's played just 34 minutes in conference play despite FSU's desperate need for quality center play. He's a talented 7-footer, but he can't get the system down and is often way too erratic with his shot selection.

There's also still the possibility that Egor Ryzhov comes over from Russia. The talented center committed to Florida State during the summer, but they couldn't get his visa worked out. They initially held the spot open before adding Lopez as an early freshman.

Florida State's roster could look something like this next season.

PG: TRANSFER, Martay Barnes, Jasen Lopez
SG: TRANSFER, Martin Somerville, Brandon Bass Jr.
SF: Thomas Bassong, AJ Swinton
PF: TRANSFER, Collin Paul
C: TRANSFER, Marcis Ponder, TRANSFER

FSU is likely looking to add at least 3 transfers, but it could be as many as six or seven, depending on what happens with the rest of the roster.

Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Basketball throughout the 2025-26 season.

Follow NoleGameday on and Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok