FSU football coaches continue to scour the transfer portal looking for talent they can sign on a budget, it seems. They got a deal from the JUCO ranks when they signed Ashlynd Barker, who developed into a starter at safety for the Noles in 2025.
They have a JUCO linebacker on campus Saturday. Chris Thomas plays at Northwest Mississippi Community College, a program that made the NJCAA DI Playoffs last fall and won its conference championship (10-2).
JUCO LB Chris Thomas ( @ChristhomasX5 ) arrives at #FSU pic.twitter.com/VU6CHdi3gD
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) January 10, 2026
Thomas stands at 6’2” and 220 pounds and had 39 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He had 19 offers out of high school and potentially went the JUCO route due to grades. However, he has earned All-Academic Honors.
This is the type of player you take instead of a player like the smaller portal linebacker from USC. Thomas is more physically ready to play and saw a nice leap in production in his two years at the JUCO level. I’m not saying he’ll come in and be some impact guy on day one, but he can probably help FSU.
They can also probably get him without the larger price tag. He's originally from Mississippi, so we'll see if any of the in-state schools get involved. The Mississppi players usually don't stray too far from home. FSU continues to need help at linebacker, and it might be a smart move to take a JUCO player who's hungry to prove himself on the big stage. It paid for for Ashlynd Barker. If new FSU linebacker coach Ernie Sims likes him, I love it.