Florida State's offensive line showed growth during the 2025 season, even though the offense wasn't exactly elite. Assistant coach Herb Hand has been around several Power Four schools during his coaching career, so he is no stranger to retooling offensive lines.
The Seminoles brought in several transfers last offseason, such as Micah Pettus, Luke Petitbon, Adrian Medley, and Gunnar Hansen. This was what Florida State needed at the time because it allowed the youngsters on the roster to develop for 2026.
There look to be youngsters on the team that could emerge into something special, like Chavez Thompson, Chastan Brown, Andre Otto, Jonathan Daniels, and Jayden Todd. While playing homegrown talent looks to be a great idea, many of them don't have much experience, so you have to throw a couple of transfers in the mix to help with the growing pains.
Auburn offensive tackle transfer Xavier Chaplin should be the starter at left tackle in 2026
Florida State did bring in several quality transfers via the portal, and one of the more important ones was former Auburn offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin.
The 6'8" and 345-pound offensive lineman, who previously played at Virginia Tech and Auburn, has started in 37 consecutive games. He earned recognition last year as he started all 12 games at left tackle for Auburn, where he performed well.
Chaplin spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon, and he seemed to feel like Ashton Daniels had what it took to be the starting quarterback in 2026 for Florida State. Chaplin was used to blocking for Daniels, with him playing for the Tigers.
The veteran offensive lineman has become one of the more important pieces on the unit because he is protecting the blindside of whoever is lining up at quarterback, plus the offensive tackle depth isn't great for Florida State after Lucas Simmons unexpectedly transferred out.
Nate Pabst, Jonathan Daniels, Chastan Brown, and Chimdia Nwaiwu are other tackles on the roster that the coaching staff can lean on. This puts more pressure on Chaplin to stay healthy in 2026.