Florida State football did not finish the way they wanted in 2024, as they completed their season with a 2-10 record. The Seminoles are not used to results like that. Head football coach Mike Norvell mentioned wanting the standard back in Tallahassee.
Norvell knew that major changes were needed as the coaching staff needed to be hired, recruits needed to sign, and transfers needed to bring their experience to the program.
Norvell has always been regarded as a coach who utilizes the transfer portal to fill necessary holes on the roster. The Seminoles had a rough experience of that in 2024, as 85% of the players did not pan out. That was a tough pill to swallow for a program that was used to transfers working out.
Overall, Florida State's coaching staff tried a different approach with transfers this offseason as they value proven production over players that they just recruited in previous high school cycles.
This is a big year for Norvell and his Seminoles' football team. There is no way of sugarcoating how important it is. Florida State football fans want to see results and see them quickly. These eleven transfer pickups are important to bringing a championship to Tallahassee.
The Seminoles had several transfers making visits this week. As a result, we were bound to see someone commit to the program. On Friday afternoon, North Carolina redshirt freshman linebacker transfer Caleb LaVallee made it official and committed to Florida State.
LaVallee was a player that the Seminoles liked out of high school as a former four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He showed his talents in the bowl game loss to UConn recently, where he recorded nine tackles in his first collegiate start.
LaVallee provides depth to a position room that already has pieces such as Omar Graham Jr., Blake Nichelson, Justin Cryer, Stefon Thompson, Jayden Parrish, and Ethan Pritchard. New linebackers coach John Papuchis has talented players to work with in 2025. I expect the former North Carolina transfer to be a big piece in what the Seminoles do this upcoming season.