The news keeps coming for Florida State football, and at least this one is of the positive variety. The Noles added a commitment from the transfer portal for All-American redshirt freshman CJ Richard late Saturday night:
Illinois State DB CJ Richard (@richard05___) has committed to Florida State, his rep @monnier_oscar of @jordansportsgrp tells @On3sports.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) January 11, 2026
The Freshman All-American posted 36 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and 2 INTs in 2025. https://t.co/wMrfFrdlE6 pic.twitter.com/aNJpZFLE78
FSU has had a lot of moving parts in its secondary with Earl Little Jr, Edwin Joseph, and Shamar Arnoux entering the transfer portal. FSU retained Ja’Bril Rawls and Ashlynd Barker, so the addition of Richard gives FSU an experienced player with three years of eligibility remaining(not that it means much in this day and age with the transfer portal).
Richard is originally from Houston, Texas. Illinois State was his only offer out of high school. He stands at 6'1" and 190 pounds, roughly about the same size as Earl Little Jr. Ricahrd redshirted in 2024 before coming on strong in 2025 with 36 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, one fumble recovery, two QB hurries, and two interceptions during Illinois State’s playoff season. He had four tackles against Oklahoma in the 2025 season opener.
PICKED OFF 💥
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) December 21, 2025
CJ Richard, Jr. of @RedbirdFB snags the interception in the end zone. #FCSPlayoffs x 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/p8lTpt0hRa
The clip shows some range for the safety and the ability to high-point the ball in the air for the interception. His PFF grades were nearly 80, which is very good. How does that translate once the competition gets better? I think he'll be fine. Is he a guy that'll be a high NFL Draft pick some day? Probably not, but he'll likely make the routine plays and play significant reps.
The defensive backs FSU have obtained from the portal have come from smaller schools, but seem to play with a chip on their shoulder. Tony White likes a physical secondary, so these guys might fit right in.