Google defines the word “commitment” as a “promise.” And if the 2026 recruiting season has made one thing clear, it’s that promises are meant to be broken. One day, a recruit is locked in, posting school colors and hashtags, and the next, he’s entertaining calls from rival coaches. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is learning this the hard way. Because just when things seemed locked up, one of his key pledges is now openly weighing other options. And not just any options, but serious ones.
And the recruit in question? Jay Timmons, the four-star cornerback out of Florida who committed to Indiana in April. Timmons is the son of former NFL linebacker Lawrence Timmons. But despite his public pledge to the Hoosiers, the buzz around his recruitment has slowly gotten louder. Thanks to his performances at camps, many more schools have started chiming in on the hype train. And one of those schools was Florida State. Fun Fact: Lawrence is a former Seminole, which makes Jay an FSU legacy player. So, when he received that offer, we all know what went through his mind. In a recent interview by Pat Burnham, Timmons talked about his official visit to FSU last weekend.
“It was great, man. Glad to come back where I’m from, you know, a legacy. Had a lot of fun. This has just been a lifelong dream of mine, and it’s something that I’ve thought about since I was born, and just being down here, uh, being back down where I was born and where my dad played, where my mom has all these memories that she told me about, you know, it’s just has a special place in my heart.” If this doesn’t show where his heart belongs, we don’t know what will.
He was then asked how he would approach the big decision. “I would say just leave emotions out of it and keep it all about football and relationships with the coaches. That’s really important. Obviously, feeling at home is super important. But also, a huge decision is player development. If a place develops DBs real good, if a place wins National Championships. Obviously, like the pipeline, that is super important.”
And what’s even more telling about his inclination is when he was asked about FSU’s defensive back coach, Patrick Surtain’s, coaching methodology. He said, “I mean, obviously it speaks for itself. This is DBU, I guess. You know, uh, his son is the defensive player of the year, so it just shows ”
For Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers, this is a fight against development and legacy. Trying to out-recruit a program like Florida State, which has churned out NFL-caliber cornerbacks, is no small task. Indiana has made major strides under Cignetti, but when it comes to a prospect like Jay, who values development, championship potential, and a strong NFL pipeline, the pitch has to be flawless. If those are the factors truly guiding his decision, Indiana’s grip on this commitment might be slipping by the day.
From One Offer to the Big Stage
Jay Timmons’ recruitment journey hasn’t been the typical blue-chip prospect saga; it’s been a grind. Just a year ago, Timmons had only one offer, from Akron. Fast-forward to now, and he’s a four-star recruit sitting across from Florida State’s coaches on an official visit. Reflecting on his rise, he said, “It just shows all the progress and the journey. Like a year ago today, I had one offer from Akron, and now I’m sitting at FSU on an official visit, living out my dream. And obviously all the other offers too, but it’s just real special to me, just shows that hard work pays off, and it’s a sign to just keep working and keep going.”
Timmons didn’t just wake up with a dozen offers; he earned every one of them with gritty performances and persistence. At the UA Next Prospects Camp in New Jersey, he was one of the top performers. He clocked a 4.4 40-yard dash, which led 247Sports to bump him up to a 4-star prospect from a 3-star one.
For a teenager weighing NFL dreams against childhood memories, this decision cuts deeper than football. Every campus visit must feel like walking through a family photo album. The play calls and facilities matter, but so does answering one quiet question: Does he want to follow in his father’s footsteps or blaze his own trail? That’s the real pressure of being Jay Timmons right now.
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