Florida State football finished with another losing season in 2025, and as a result, the fan base's morale is at an all-time low. There are even members of the media who have expressed their frustrations. It is the nature of having six losing seasons in eight years.
The fact of the matter is that the losses have to end, and the administration allowed head coach Mike Norvell to return in 2026, which made some individuals scratch their heads.
Nonetheless, everyone likes to give Norvell a hard time, and I think the negativity within the program is getting old. This is a head coach who was successful in 2022 and 2023, where he won a combined 23 games. That is the same person. He is still named Mike Norvell. That coach is still in there.
247Sports' Bud Elliott on the Cover 3 Podcast highlighted college football teams that had the worst offseason, and he mentions Florida State as one of them.
Skip to the 40-minute mark, where Elliott explained that the transfer portal class for the Seminoles was "pretty underwhelming". Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but this has been completely blown out of proportion. I feel as though the transfer portal class for Florida State was very solid.
Florida State football's transfer portal class outlook
Florida State added 23 transfers this offseason. The Seminoles needed talent on their roster, and they got that accomplished. They brought in a veteran linebacker in Southern Miss's Chris Jones. He was originally signed with Ole Miss and had 133 tackles last year for the Golden Eagles. This could be a Tatum Bethune-like pickup for the Seminoles to change the narrative of the linebacker room.
Then, Florida State picked up a veteran left tackle, Xavier Chaplin, who is listed at 6'8" and 354 pounds, and has played in 37 consecutive games during his time with Virginia Tech and Auburn. Plus, Chaplin is a perfect replacement for former offensive lineman Micah Pettus. Chaplin has experience with blocking for starting quarterback Ashton Daniels, so it should be a seamless transition.
Lastly, the Seminoles grabbed Texas running back transfer Quintrevion Wisner from the portal. While Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton Jr. were productive pieces for the program last year, it is always a smart investment to add someone that had over 2,000 total yards and ten touchdowns in the last two years playing in the SEC.
All in all, it might be a ton of household names yet, but Florida State had plenty of solid pickups in the transfer portal that they can build around. I believe the word choice of "pretty underwhelming" has to do with Elliott's confidence in Norvell having a successful season.
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