The transfer portal window is supposed to be an opportunity for teams to get better in college football. The Seminoles need all the help they can get after they were able to manage seven wins over the past two seasons.
The truth of the matter is that Florida State utterly failed in last year's transfer portal class, which puts all the pressure on the Seminoles to succeed this time around. To make matters worse, Miami has made it to the College Football Playoff national championship, and Florida has the "new car smell" with head football coach Jon Sumrall.
Has Florida State's transfer portal haul been considered a failure?
How would I grade the Seminoles' transfer portal acquisitions? Well, the Seminoles have been very average in my eyes during the window, and this is where I give them a C grade. This discussion is not about current players leaving the team for the transfer portal. It is merely talking about transfers that it acquired from other schools. If we factored in that, it could be closer to a D- grade.
Heading into the transfer portal window, the Seminoles had to grab a quarterback, offensive line, defensive line, and linebacker. However, Florida State has not addressed much from the defensive line and linebacker aspect, which was a major issue in 2025 (stopping Florida running back Jadan Baugh in the season finale).
Assistant coach Herb Hand did a phenomenal job grabbing five offensive linemen to rotate in the starting unit, and he even grabbed someone like Troy's Paul Bowling, who has multiple years of eligibility. The staff has spent resources on running back, tight end, and defensive back when it probably didn't need to.
While I am all for adding talent like Texas running back transfer Tre Wisner to the backfield, the Seminoles already had options like Ousmane Kromah and Sam Singleton Jr. in the rotation. Meanwhile, Florida State grabbed a cheaper option at quarterback in Auburn's Ashton Daniels that could allow youngster Kevin Sperry an opportunity to start this year.
Defensive coordinator Tony White will have to work with what he has in Year 2 of his scheme, as the Seminoles' defense only has four of the thirteen transfers so far.
Florida State still has work to do. The entire defensive line from a year ago is gone, and they only have Texas A&M defensive end transfer Rylan Kennedy to show for it. Plus, linebackers will be a pressing need too, unless some of the youngsters step up.
Overall, this transfer portal class makes the fan base bite their fingernails with anxious anticipation of what will transpire during the 2026 season.