Former FSU commitment re-opens recruitment for second time in less than a year

Commitments are more fluid than ever in the current age of college football recruiting, particularly due to the introduction of NIL and unlimited official visits. Take Florida State's wild run last fall as an example. The Seminoles saw ten players decommit from the program but flipped 12 recruits of their own to conclude the 2025 recruiting cycles.

The constant movement can lead to some pretty wild results.

On Saturday, four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters announced he was decommitting from the Florida Gators. Waters is re-opening his recruitment for the second time in less than a year as he pledged to Florida State in April before backing off that decision in May.

It didn't take Waters long to commit to the Gators in June but now he's considering other options once again. Miami is the strong public favorite to land the blue-chip prospect and if that happens, it would mean Waters has made a run across the entire big three in the Sunshine State.

As a junior, Waters totaled 20 tackles, one fumble recovery, three pass deflections, and two interceptions. He's one of the top defensive back prospects among rising seniors. Outside of FSU, UF, and Miami, Waters holds offers from Texas A&M, Michigan, Auburn, USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Texas, and Penn State, among others.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound defensive back is regarded as the No. 142 overall prospect, the No. 13 S, and the No. 20 recruit in Florida in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.

Florida State holds six verbal commitments in its 2026 class which ranks No. 12 in the country. The Seminoles previously landed four-star safety Darryl Bell III and three-star safety Tedarius Hughes.