Former FSU DB is killing it in his new home and no one should be surprised

Earl Little Jr. has quickly acclimated himself to his new program.

The former Seminoles starting safety, who was a second-team All-ACC performer in 2025, transferred to Ohio State in the offseason because, let's be honest, it's a much better situation for a football player right now. And to the surprise of very few people, Little is having a strong spring and recently had his black stripe removed to make him an official Buckeye.

Earl Little Jr. is tearing it up at Ohio State

Even though Little came into Ohio State with a ton of experience from his time at FSU and Alabama previous to that, the Buckeyes have this tradition where the newcomers have a black stripe on their helmet or something, and it has to get removed to become a real deal Buckeye. The whole thing sounds like some sort of frat-boy gimmick, so it's no surprise that the tradition began with Urban Meyer, but aside from that, it's good for Little.

This also has to be a little bittersweet for FSU fans. Little was a good Seminole. He came to work every day, he tried to be a leader to the best of his ability, he was accountable, and he tried to hold his teammates accountable. No one could blame him for trying to get to a better situation. It's just frustrating that he didn't believe that FSU could really get him where he wanted to go. 

Little is now under the tutelage of Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, a disciple of Bill Belichick and a great fit in the college game (things got a little rocky when he was a head coach in the NFL, but that's another story). If you're a safety with some scheme versatility like Little, playing in Patricia's system is a dream. 

"Earl, certainly a great player at Florida State, a guy that's always around the ball. I mean this guy just had an instinct and a knack for being around the ball. So hopefully we can use some of that," Patricia said during his Thursday press conference. 

It's frustrating that Little is no longer at FSU, but no one can blame him for finding a situation that should work out well for him and allow him to compete for a championship. Go out there andbe great young man!