Seminoles land commitment from Illinois State safety CJ Richard
The Florida State football team landed another defensive back commitment on Saturday night as former Illinois State safety CJ Richard Jr. made his pledge to the Seminoles.
Richard told Warchant he was impressed by the vision laid out by head coach Mike Norvell and Florida State safeties coach Evan Cooper.
“I love how Coach Norvell and Coach Cooper are trying to change the program around, and I definitely want to be a part of that, and get developed by the best on and off the field,” Richard said. “And also showcase my talent and get to where I want to be, which is the league at the end of it all.”
The former FCS standout had an impressive freshman year in 2025, with 36 total tackles, 1.5 for loss, a fumble recovery and two interceptions.
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For his performance, Richard was named an FCS Freshman All-American by Phil Steele.
Richard committed to Florida State while on his visit Saturday. He arrived on campus earlier that afternoon, and his visit activities were expected to continue into Sunday.
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