Chuck Kennon is no longer a member of the college football program at Florida State. He was dismissed from the team on Tuesday.
There must be more to the story…
The college football coaching staff hinted at some potential problems during the preseason. It sounds like something happened.
UPDATE (Oct. 13, 2026): Something did happen! Kennon was arrested in Hillsborough County over the weekend. He faces three separate charges. The full story has yet to be released.
Who is Chuck Kennon?
At 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Chauncey ‘Chuck’ Kennon played wide receiver and defensive back at Booker High School in Sarasota, Florida. He finished his senior season with 19 tackles (three for loss), three pass breakups and one interception, and caught nine passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Coaches game-planned away from him. They threw the ball in the other direction.
Kennon was ranked as the No. 6 defensive back in the recruiting Class of 2026, the No. 5 player in Florida and a top-50 player overall. He was considered a four-star recruit with 37 scholarship offers from schools all over the country. Florida, Miami, Georgia and Florida State were his top four options. The Seminoles ultimately received his commitment.
Kennon was Florida State’s top-ranked prospect in the most recent recruiting class. Given the current state of his program, and declining job security, to keep one of the best players in the state in the state was a big win for Mike Norvell. The coaching staff was thrilled with what they saw during the summer. He did a good job of adjusting to the next level.
And now it’s over.
Why was he dismissed from the Florida State football team?
Florida State announced the dismissal of Chuck Kennon on Tuesday morning. It cited “conduct detrimental to the team” but did not expand further on the aforementioned conduct or how it was detrimental.
UPDATE: Kennon was booked into jail by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with “aggravated fleeing to elude,” “false imprisonment,” and “resisting officer without violence.” In Florida, “false imprisonment” falls under Statute 787.02. It means Kennon allegedly restrained another person without lawful authority and against their will forcibly, by threat, or secretly confining, abducting, imprisoning, or restraining.
Defensive coordinator Tony White said earlier in the year that Kennon had the potential to work his way into the defensive rotation as a true freshman. And yet, he was not dressed out for games at the beginning of the season and played only one snap against Virginia.
Defensive backs coach Blue Adams, who was high on Kennon’s potential, alluded to potential issues during the preseason.
“He’s young, he’s energetic. Sometimes you’ve got to tell him, ‘Hey, focus up. We’re going this direction.’ But he’’ coachable. That’s what I like about him.”
It sounds like Kennon’s lack of focus eventually caught up with him. I would expect the details of his arrest to leak in the coming days. For a floundering Florida State team to dismiss its top-ranked recruit after just six games alluded to something much bigger and the new details of the arrest confirm the optics. Things aren’t going well in Tallahassee.