FSU football: Impact of DJ Lundy withdrawing from portal to return to Noles

FSU football fans received some unexpected news Wednesday afternoon when former FSU linebacker DJ Lundy withdrew his name from the transfer portal. Lundy entered the transfer portal after the ACC championship win over Louisville and committed to Colorado on Christmas Day. Usually, when players enter the portal and commit to another school, the chances of returning are slim to none. However, FSU has had guys enter the portal and withdraw their names to return in the past few years. The move to enter the portal was perplexing, considering Lundy would have been the most experienced linebacker returning for 2024. FSU lacked experience at the position and planned to pursue transfer linebackers whether Lundy entered the portal or not.

FSU had a few transfer portal options to visit within the last week. However, none committed or were pushed by the coaches to commit. My assumption is things were amicable when Lundy decided to leave, and they kept communication open. There have been cases where guys entered the portal and wanted to withdraw to come back to FSU, but that wasn't allowed. It's definitely a win for FSU because linebacker is the biggest question mark going into 2024. Lundy provides a ton of experience in Adam Fuller's defense and can help Omar Graham Jr. and Blake Nichelson immensely, as opposed to another transfer trying to learn the same defense and calls. He has improved every year and was one of the top guys in the portal. I still think it's possible that FSU will pursue another linebacker post-spring if someone they like becomes available. On a side note, taking a guy away from Deion Sanders is always fun with the history with him in recent years. It's also technically a scholarship saved, I suppose. Stay tuned to Chopchat for more recruiting news and analysis.