2026 DE Jake Kreul excited to receive offer from mother's alma mater
Orlando (Fla.) Bishop Moore defensive end Jake Kreul is one of the fastest-rising edge rushers in the 2026 class. In the month of May alone, Kreul added offers from Clemson, USC, Oregon, Texas A&M and reigning national champion Michigan. At the Florida State elite camp on Sunday, Kreul added a long-sought after offer from the Seminoles to bring up the total to 27 offers.
It was an offer that meant a lot to him, as his mother is a Florida State alumni.
"It came from Coach Norvell during 1-on-1's actually — it didn't come after the camp so emotionally (in the moment) I couldn't stop smiling," Kreul said on getting the offer. "My mom went here, my friends were all Florida State fans, and I grew up around Florida State a lot. So this means a lot to me for me to finally have the chance to play here."
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It was the end of an impactful day for Kreul, who spent the majority of the day on campus getting to know more about the program.
"It was an awesome day. We checked in, got to eat some really good food. I toured the whole campus with the general manager (Darrick Yray)... We got to see the facilities and talk to the players, which was really cool. I got to ask them a lot of really good questions and know a lot more about Coach Norvell because I get to ask people that are living with him every day," Kreul said.
That is without mentioning the Elite Camp itself — an invitation-only camp that brought together some of the best rising talent in the country. Kreul was one of many highly ranked defensive end prospects to attend the camp that got to put in some work and learn from defensive ends coach John Papuchis.
"I learned a lot of good things under Coach JP (Papuchis) and Coach Odell (Haggins)," Kreul said. "I've been on campus a few times now so I've gotten to meet him (Papuchis) a lot. I've got to sit in a meeting room with him, which was awesome."
But it's the production and development at the position that Kreul has taken notice of the most.
"Just look at the people that he's produced," Kreul added. "Jared Verse, Patrick Payton — he's a great pass rusher. So you see the people that he has produced in the three years that he has been here. He's made dogs. He's really developed players who initially weren't high ranked recruits and he's helped make them who they are. It's stuff like that that is really impactful to me because I know that if I come here, he can develop me to become the pass rusher that I want to be."
Kreul has been on campus multiple times thus far in his recruitment, most recently at the Seminole Showcase in April prior to attending the Elite Camp on Sunday. With his recruitment trending towards the national stage, the offer from his mother's alma mater may have come at just the right time.
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