Florida State came into this transfer portal window wanting to acquire pieces in the trenches on the offensive and defensive side of the football. It is pivotal to a team's success. Just look at the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes, who play Ole Miss tonight in the College Football Playoff Semifinal.
This is disheartening to see for the fan base because the Hurricanes have been nonexistent over the past twenty years. However, their team has realized that they need offensive and defensive linemen to be successful against other squads.
Florida State had a productive 2025 season on its offensive line under assistant coach Herb Hand. However, Coach Hand picked up several veterans along the line to start for the Seminoles. As a result, those seniors had exceeded their eligibility and wouldn't be back for 2026.
Florida State could get its first offensive tackle transfer
Florida State has young pieces on the current roster that they can build around, such as Sandman Thompson, Andre Otto, and Jonathan Daniels. However, the Seminoles need more than just three pieces to move opposing defensive lines around in the conference.
They went to the transfer portal and grabbed offensive linemen such as Bowling Green's Nate Pabst, Purdue's Bradyn Joiner, and Troy's Paul Bowling. The pickups were something that the program needed, but the problem is that all of them were recruited as interior offensive linemen.
The good news is that Florida State does have an offensive tackle transfer that it wants to commit, in Auburn offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin. The veteran started every game at left tackle for the Tigers last season.
Chaplin visited Florida State and seemed to have a great time. He concluded his visit and, according to a report from Noles247, he will be deciding between Florida State and Kentucky.
The Seminoles cannot allow the Wildcats to get the commitment of Chaplin, especially considering that a depth piece like Lucas Simmons transferred elsewhere. Plus, the coaching staff had Louisiana offensive tackle transfer target Bryant Williams on a visit earlier, but it looks like he is trending away from Florida State at this time.
While offensive guards might be viewed highly in this scheme, offensive tackles have to complete their task by protecting the quarterbacks when they drop back and throw the football.