Earnest Rankins is a defensive lineman for the Florida State Seminoles. The 6'4", 274-pound true freshman from East Atlanta, Georgia, attended Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur. A consensus four-star prospect, Rankins was ranked No. 125 overall and No. 12 defensive lineman nationally. At Southwest DeKalb, he earned first-team All-Region honors after the team posted a 9-3 record and reached the second round of the 4A state playoffs, including a first-round victory over Jonesboro—the program's first postseason win since 2017. Rankins chose Florida State over scholarship offers from Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia.

Florida State2026 — present