Florida State football has had a solid transfer portal haul throughout this window period. The Seminoles finished with a 5-7 record during the 2025 season. This brought the fan base no excitement because they didn't finish the year well.
As a result, individuals were ready to put the pitchforks up for head football coach Mike Norvell. It has been a difficult tenure with him at Florida State due to the fact that the Seminoles have had four losing seasons in six years.
However, it could all change this year for the Seminoles. Coach Norvell has had a productive 10-win and 13-win campaign while at Florida State. With that said, Florida State needs to continue securing high-quality talent in the transfer portal.
Florida State will be bringing in productive linebacker transfer Devin Hightower to visit
Florida State already grabbed JUCO linebacker Chris Thomas from Northwest Mississippi Community College, but he is recovering from a knee injury that he suffered a few months ago. However, the focus in the transfer portal remains to be defensive linemen and linebackers.
Then, the Seminoles grabbed four-star signee Izayia Williams in their 2026 recruiting class. While Williams is an elite prospect, he is also recovering from a knee injury. The coaching staff just can't seem to get away from the injury bug with linebackers.
However, we wrote that Florida State will be bringing in former Ole Miss linebacker transfer Chris Jones for a visit soon. The Southern Miss transfer was someone that Florida State wanted to bring in earlier, but he committed to the Rebels before they had a chance.
The Seminoles also have UAB linebacker transfer Devin Hightower coming to Tallahassee for a visit soon, as he indicated on Twitter (X).
I will be visiting Florida State University! #GoNoles https://t.co/pQ1L05CtZO
— Devin Hightower (@1devinhightower) January 13, 2026
This will be another productive defender that Florida State can add to its transfer portal haul. Hightower finished the 2025 season with the Blazers by recording 81 tackles, one sack, and one interception (according to ESPN Stats and Information).
This would be an instant upgrade in the Seminoles' linebacker core for 2026 if they grabbed both Jones and Hightower.