Florida State is working diligently to fill out its roster defensively for the 2026 season. JUCO defensive lineman Malachi Brown, out of Monterey Peninsula College, is one of their top targets, and he visited with the Seminoles on Thursday after arriving on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-2, 315-pounder wants to make a decision before he graduates on May 22, and he wants to do so at least one week before the ceremony. Brown has narrowed his choices down to FSU, the Kansas Jayhawks, and the Colorado Buffaloes.
Brown was extended an offer from the Seminoles while he was on campus. It was a special moment for him, as well as a very important member of his family who accompanied him on the trip.
“It was amazing. My mom cried a little bit. But it was good,” Brown told Noles247. “It felt like it’s been a lifelong dream to even be able to say I could play college football. So to say I played at Florida State is even crazier. Yeah. So to be in Florida is even crazy. My first time ever flying on an airplane was down here to Florida.”
Florida State sees Brown as an interior defensive lineman in their 3-3-5 scheme. If he commits, Terrance Knighton would be his position coach, and he spoke highly of him once his trip ended.
“Coach T-Knght is amazing,” Brown said. “I, like, for my JUCO, I’m not gonna hate on my JUCO or nothing like that. I love my junior college, but I didn’t really have a D-line coach. So to even have a D-line coach is just amazing. So he’s amazing, definitely. I can definitely pick his brain.”
Brown was supposed to visit the West Virginia Mountaineers, but after taking his trip to Florida State, that’s no longer the case. The Seminoles are hoping they did enough as the finish line approaches, and they can land Brown.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU Football: Malachi Brown names Florida State in top three