FSU needs someone on the edge to step up this season and Rylan Kennedy wants to be that guy.
Kennedy was one of the big transfer portal acquisitions for the Seminoles. He spent his first three seasons at Texas A&M and has 34 tackles and 3.5 sacks over the past two seasons. Kennedy will be expected to jump into a greater role and the hope is that his numbers will reflect that similar to the ascension that Jermaine Johnson made in 2021 when he transferred from Georgia.
Texas A&M Edge rusher transfer Rylan Kennedy takes the podium at #FSU for the first time: https://t.co/H8HqBxGmv3 pic.twitter.com/vaU1ua2rHE
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) February 11, 2026
Last season, FSU tried a similar approach, bringing in James Williams from Nebraska. Williams had situational success as a pass rusher in Tony White's 3-3-5 system when he played him with the Cornhuskers, but that didn't translate to Tallahassee, and he transferred to Oklahoma State.
Kennedy said he wants to be the guy that can do a little bit of everything and is looking forward to the opportunity to show off his versatility.
"When I say [versatility], you could see me...I might mess around and be guarding a receiver or coming off the edge or in a three-point stance or in a linebacker stance," Kennedy said during his first meeting with the local media on Wednesday.
Rylan Kennedy is eager to show FSU what he's capable of
Kennedy's first appearance with the media should endear him to FSU fans. He came across as very excited, very thankful and complimentary of the opportunity. His relationship with new edge rusher/outside linebackers coach Nick Williams is one that can hopefully be beneficial to both sides.
"He was an edge rusher himself back in college, so he knows what to do. All the tools and keys," Kenendy added. "I put my trust into him and I feel comfortable being with him, trusting the process and being at Florida State."
Kennedy is a great athlete but still very young in terms of football development. He was a basketball and rack guy until his senior year in high school, when he decided to focus on the sport and gained a lot of attention from top programs because of his upside. Now he brings all of that to Tallahassee, where the Seminoles hope his best football is yet to come.