The Seminoles will be losing some 'juice' on the defense.
Justin Cryer, a part-time starter at linebacker ,entered the transfer portal late Monday. The junior appeared in 34 games with the Seminoles and made 10 starts, including eight this season. Cryer had 43 tackles and a sack this season.
Florida State starting linebacker Justin Cryer has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 5, 2026
Recorded 43 tackles this season. pic.twitter.com/fEurHwyH6e
FSU is continuing to make changes to the defense to find personnel groupings that better fit Tony White's 3-3-5 scheme and Cryer is not a natural fit. To say he was a liability in coverage is probably an understatement. Cryer's 40.9 PFF coverage grade this season rated amongst the lowest of any linebacker in the Power 4.
Cryer was a sleeper prospect out of Katy, Texas and, truth be told, he probably produced more than expected. He was a mainstay on special teams from the start and had worked his way into the two deep over the past two years. He was a respected teammate who won the McGrotha Award for leadership twice and was on the All-ACC Academic Team.
FSU is overhauling the linebacker room, and they are going to be relying on more athletic players like blue-chip recruit Izayia Wiliams, who is more productive in space and has the skill set to improve the coverage issues that have plagued the unit.
Busy day in the portal for FSU
It makes sense that the Cryer news was lost in the shuffle after the announcements of Amaree Williams, Mandrell Desir and Darryl Desir entering the transfer portal. Cryer was expected to portal, and it was a bit of a surprise he didn't announce much sooner. The other three, however, came as a surprise, especially Williams and Mandrell Desir, who were looked at as building blocks for next season and beyond.
FSU also had some positive news in the portal, landing a top target on offense, Tre Wisner, who led the Texas Longhorns run game in consecutive seasons. The Seminoles also added a commitment from quarterback Ashton Daniels late Monday night. Daniels started his career at Stanford and was a backup to Jackson Arnold at Auburn last year.
The transfer portal window opened on January 2 and will last through January 16.