Florida State had a lot of holes on its roster in 2026, especially on the offensive and positional player side. There were several players who either couldn’t find a home on defense, couldn’t stay healthy, or couldn’t hit well enough consistently to stay in the lineup.
Link Jarrett wrongfully chose to blame injuries for the disappointing 2026 after St. John's eliminated FSU. He didn’t admit the disappointing season was ultimately his fault, but the roster moves with players announcing plans to enter the transfer portal say otherwise.
The following players have announced intentions to enter the portal:
- Manny Lantigua (Freshman Pitcher)
- Kelvyn Paulino Jr. (Freshman Utility Player)
- Noah Sheffield (Sophomore Utility Player)
- Chase Williams (Junior Outfielder)
There should be more players entering the portal to make room for more productive players.
There will likely be more players exiting the program, but it’s a clear sign that there was too much wasted space. Lantigua appeared in a handful of games. Paulino and Sheffield couldn’t get back into the lineup after starting for much of the non-conference schedule. Chase Williams had a horrendous start to the season and dealt with injuries(a common theme for him) before finally getting hot at the plate and getting hurt again.
Lantigua was a freshman, so there were no expectations really. However, the common theme among Paulino Jr, Sheffield, and Williams? No power, and tons of strikeouts, while not being a difference-maker on defense. Each player struck out in over 21 percent of their at-bats. Sheffield and Williams had two years to show what they can do, and pretty much are what they are at this point. Paulino Jr. had some potential, but I think it’ll be a while before he develops any real power. Also, he was like Cerrano in the Major League movie when it came to breaking pitches.
Paying for potential without production isn’t a smart move, just see Hykeem Williams while he was with FSU and now in Colorado (still not producing anything).
It’s a good sign that Link Jarrett is removing these unproductive players and likely replacing them with portal players who have had production in the past. If you’re good enough to play as a freshman, you’ll play. See John Stuetzer, Hunter Carns, Myles Bailey, and even Paulino Jr. early in the season. However, there’s a lot of pressure on these coaches to win, and they don’t have 2-3 seasons for guys to figure it out anymore.
The key to all of this will be which players Link Jarrett acquires to improve the roster? He’s added some great talent from the transfer portal and JUCO ranks in years past. Brayden Dowd, Max Williams, Drew Faurot, Alex Lodise, Gage Harrelson, Daniel Cantu, and Marco Dinges, to name a few.
He’s going to have to land those types of players again if he wants the FSU offense to be anywhere near capable in 2027.
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