FSU football: Alabama LB transfer Shawn Murphy visiting the Noles

FSU football fans have had a successful month of January with the Seminoles continuing to be red hot in the transfer portal. Florida State has already landed 13 commitments thus far, and they do not appear to be slowing down as they continue to add talent to this roster for the 2024 season.

The Seminoles have built a firm foundation for this program fulfilling needs at a variety of positions. While Florida State does not want to live and die by the transfer portal to construct a roster and wants to continue developing its homegrown talent via the recruiting ranks, the transfer portal is a part of today's college football landscape.

Florida State has seemingly had its sights set on the Alabama Crimson Tide this offseason after the College Football Playoff committee snubbed the Seminoles of an opportunity to compete for a championship.

Head football coach Mike Norvell was able to land four transfers via the transfer portal from the Crimson Tide then elected to stay at Florida State even though Alabama was interested in him after Nick Saban shockingly decided to retire.

On Monday morning, it was announced that Alabama redshirt freshman linebacker Shawn Murphy is currently visiting Florida State. The former four-star in the 2022 recruiting cycle has only recorded five tackles in his two-year career with the Crimson Tide (redshirted in 2022). He will have three more years of eligibility remaining.

Murphy is certainly a talented option out of the high school ranks. However, he has done much since signing with Alabama. Most fans have discussed the need for the Seminoles to grab a linebacker via the transfer portal with the depth of the position being unproven (it helps that DJ Lundy elected to return for his senior season in 2024).

Could the Alabama transfer be just a capable body for depth? Could he blossom into something special? We know that DJ Lundy will command one of the starter linebacker spots, but can players such as Omar Graham Jr., Blake Nichelson, or Justin Cryer step into an expanded role? That is an important question to analyze as we navigate throughout the spring.