Florida State's defense was a work in progress under new defensive coordinator Tony White. The former Nebraska assistant coach came to the Seminoles with a new 3-3-5 defensive philosophy that worked well with the Cornhuskers.
However, Florida State's players looked confused and out of position when they were asked to apply what they learned in the scheme. This was to be expected with bringing in White to the program, but the loss to the struggling arch-rival Florida Gators stung to close the year.
With that said, the Seminoles went back into the madness of the transfer portal and acquired new players to insert into the roster. Florida State already knew the dangerous of over-relying on the transfer portal instead of the high school recruiting ranks.
Could Kevin Wynn be a huge factor in the Florida State defense in 2026?
Florida State seemed to have hit on its 2025 recruiting class. The coaching staff looked like they realized that they played the youngsters instead of relying on veterans who looked completely lost.
The class had players that look like Florida State hit on. The talk of the offseason was the fact that defensive linemen Mandrell and Darryll Desir entered the transfer portal. The Desir Twins were notable pieces in the trenches, with Mandrell being named a True Freshman All-American.
This shouldn't discount the fact that the pass-rushing duo returns, but the Seminoles also are lucky to get former four-star defensive tackle prospect Kevin Wynn. The defender played in four games last season, but he dealt with injuries, which prevented him from being productive.
Wynn entered the transfer portal this offseason, but Florida State was lucky to get him back in the fold. The Seminoles have defensive tackles on the roster like Daniel Lyons, Deante McCray, Jordan Sanders, Tylon Lee, Earnest Rankins, and Wihttlley Cadeau.
The redshirt freshman has a mission in mind to ensure that the defense can be able to stop the run and get after opposing quarterbacks in Year 2 of Tony White's defense.