Florida State has had nearly 40 players enter the transfer portal over the past week. Some have found homes at Power4 programs elsewhere, while others have attended smaller schools, and many have yet to find a suitable home.
That’s the case for one of the earliest entries in the transfer portal for former FSU defensive end L A Jessie Harrold.
Harrold was a late signee in the 2025 recruiting cycle, the No. 217 player and No. 22 EDGE nationally. He was an early enrollee last January and has the measurables you’re looking for in a defensive end. However, his name never got mentioned by the coaching staff, and he seemed to get lost in the shuffle.
He played three snaps against Wake Forest and redshirted before becoming the second player to announce intentions to enter the transfer portal when it opened on January 2nd. A week has passed, and Harrold reports ONE offer via his social media account from FAU:
Blessed for the opportunity and offer to play at FAU @CoachSantana_ pic.twitter.com/dWQJdJeikM
— LA Jesse Harrold (@JesseHarrold4) January 2, 2026
There hasn’t been any news of him visiting any schools on social media. Honestly, FSU probably paid him a good amount of money at a position of need to create some hype and momentum after a disastrous 2024 season. It doesn’t appear that there was a long-standing relationship with the coaching staff, which is likely why he was so quick to jump into the portal to look for a new opportunity. However, if you were an early enrollee and only played three snaps ALL season? There was no news of him being hurt or anything of that nature.
LA Jessie Harrold is a prime example of why high-ranking high school players need to develop patience instead of jumping in the transfer portal before accomplishing anything
The defensive end position is coveted, but teams aren’t going to give you a ton of money because of what you were ranked in high school. Most schools are looking for transfer portal players who can contribute immediately. There are lots of players like Harrold who were highly ranked out of high school finding out they don't have the same demand because they were not productive that first or second year in college.
It's why young players need to have good people surrounding them for guidance, instead of uninformed people helping them make bad decisions. If Harrold was told to leave FSU? Well, his actions over the past year probably pointed to never getting a return on that investment. Either way, it comes back to the player putting in the work to develop to create better opportunities for themselves.