Florida State's football roster has to make rapid changes as the Seminoles finished with a 2-10 record in 2024. This is something that head football coach Mike Norvell is not happy with, given the standards of the proud program with championship aspirations.
The only way to get out of the slump is to acquire talent on the roster. Linebacker play is something that I realize will be pivotal in new defensive coordinator Tony White's new 3-3-5 scheme. In today's college football landscape, linebackers are asked to do many things to be effective in pass coverage and run defense.
The Seminoles added Nebraska transfer Stefon Thompson and four-star signee Ethan Pritchard in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Then they have returning pieces such as Omar Graham Jr., Justin Cryer, Blake Nichelson, Timir Hickman-Collins, and Jayden Parrish.
While I am a fan of the returning linebackers, they have not yet shown the ability to be proven in starting roles (even though Graham Jr. displayed nice flashes at the end of the year).
The Seminoles' coaching staff knows that linebacker transfers are on the table. Today (Sunday, December 29th) is the last day that transfers can enter the window.
One option at the position to focus on is North Carolina redshirt freshman linebacker Caleb LaVallee, who the Seminoles were on heavily during the 2023 recruiting cycle. He was from Mableton, Georgia, where he recorded 172 total tackles (24 for loss), six sacks, three quarterback hurries, and three interceptions in 2022.
LaVallee did not play much during his last two years at North Carolina, but he finally got his opportunity versus UConn in the bowl game matchup, where he recorded nine tackles. In the contest, you could see that he was very active, going from sideline to sideline. What is even more encouraging is that Florida State already has him taking a visit to campus in early January.
This would be a massive pickup for new linebackers coach John Papuchis to work with. I think the Seminoles would benefit from having the services of LaVallee and veteran transfer Marques Watson-Trent from Georgia Southern. That would be a solid unit to build on.