Florida State football added some solid acquisitions to its roster via the transfer portal. However, the portal window has now ended, and they will have to rely on grabbing what's available on its roster, the current portal, or graduates who might look for a new home later on in the offseason.
One of the biggest concerns for the defense has to be on the line of scrimmage. When we entered last offseason, the Seminoles added former Nebraska defensive end James Williams, who was reunited with coaches Terrance Knighton and Tony White. However, it was a failure that the staff and fans didn't expect.
The entire starting defensive line (minus Mandrell Desir) has left Florida State. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. According to ESPN Stats and Information, defensive linemen for the Seminoles only recorded 17.5 sacks in twelve games during the 2025 season.
Florida State needs to find effective pieces to emerge in the defensive line
I will admit that Florida State's defensive line looks better than it did a few weeks ago, since the program decided to bring back youngsters such as Mandrell and Darryll Desir, as well as Kevin Wynn.
The Seminoles probably paid a hefty financial amount to keep the Desir Twins and Wynn in Tallahassee, so they need to perform well in 2026. However, to be completely honest, Darryll Desir and Kevin Wynn combined to have one sack last year.
Florida State decided to throw numbers at the problem with finding talented defensive linemen, as the Seminoles acquired eight high schoolers and two transfers. While it is a ton to put on youngsters, it is worth mentioning that seven of the eight defensive linemen are early enrollees.
Florida State had a bad taste in its mouth from the season finale against rival Florida, where running back Jadan Baugh accumulated over 200 rushing yards in a contest where he couldn't be stopped. If the Seminoles created pressure on quarterback DJ Lagway and came away with sacks, the obvious passing situations would have eliminated Baugh from being as successful.
Given the experience, there is a belief that the coaching staff wants Class of 2026 four-star JUCO defensive end Jalen Anderson to take the next step to be a starter on the defensive line.