Will the Noles pursue USC interior offensive lineman transfer Jason Zandamela?

Florida State has plenty of veteran offensive line pieces for the construction of the 2024 squad. Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins has a plethora of options in its rotation. However, players such as Maurice Smith, Jeremiah Byers, Darius Washington, and Robert Scott Jr.

With that being said, two scholarship options can effectively snap the football in Maurice Smith and Darius Washington (plus walk-on David Stickle). However, both of them will be graduating after the 2024 season so the Seminoles will have to find viable options.

There was a recruiting prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle that the Seminoles were pushing heavily for in four-star interior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela from Clearwater Academy International in Clearwater, Florida. On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that Zandamela plans to enter the transfer portal.

He was even projected to commit to Florida State after his high school teammate (former four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons) signed with the Seminoles in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The USC Trojans were Zandamela's first official visit on the first weekend of June, and he had a remarkable trip where he committed to the Trojans.

It was discouraged since he was slated to visit Florida State in the final weekend of June, which would have been his final visit of the summer. Even though the Seminoles pursued him, he stayed firm with his pledge to head football coach Lincoln Riley and company.

This would be a great opportunity for Florida State to get involved again. This transfer portal class has been about getting prospects that they had missed out on during their recruitments such as Marvin Jones Jr. (Georgia), Earl Little Jr. (Alabama), Malik Benson (Alabama), Devonte Brown (Miami), and Jalen Brown (LSU).

I would love to see Florida State make a serious push in this recruitment simply because I think the Seminoles could benefit from someone who can play center at a high level for the years to come.