Florida State coaches can’t get any momentum in the transfer portal. They’ve gotten one player who has moved the needle (Tre Wisner), but that was overshadowed by players on the team announcing intentions to enter the portal. It was also not a position that was a necessity to spend a ton of money.
They need major help on the offensive line, defensive end, linebackers, and in the secondary. There was some thought that Earl Little Jr. would return to FSU after declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. However, Little decided to enter the transfer portal, which means FSU needs help at the safety position.
LSU safety transfer Jardin Gilbert plans to visit Louisville, Florida State, Arkansas, Mississippi State and UCLA, sources tell @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 9, 2026
Former top-175 overall recruit who began his career at Texas A&M. Has made 24 career starts at A&M and LSU. pic.twitter.com/PQWwetIIct
A player the coaches are targeting is former four-star safety Jardin Gilbert. He signed with Texas A&M in the 2021 recruiting class and transferred to LSU for the last two seasons.
He has alternated years of being a productive player, so 2026 would be a productive year if that trend continued. He took a medical redshirt in 2023 and only played in four regular season games at LSU in 2025, granting him a sixth and final year of eligibility.
It’s where FSU is right now. They can’t go out and get a starting caliber player; instead, they have to ball on a budget or hope they get lucky with a guy who’s had some serious injury issues. They are no stranger to doing that, and Trey Benson and Johnny Wilson would be good examples where the gamble paid off.
However, we'll see if he even makes it to campus since he's visiting other schools that seem to have a better idea of what they're doing in the transfer portal.