Florida State football added three linebacker transfers to the fold in the offseason with Nebraska's Stefon Thompson, Memphis's Elijah Herring, and North Carolina's Caleb LaVallee. Plus, the Seminoles have returning pieces such as Omar Graham Jr., Blake Nichelson, and Justin Cryer on its roster.
The linebacker position is being coached by former defensive ends coach John Papuchis since Terrance Knighton has taken over as defensive line coach.
Defensive coordinator Tony White already raved about Elijah Herring's skill set after spring practices due to his effort and physicality. Herring is looking to be one of the starters in Florida State's multiple 3-3-5 defensive scheme.
However, some fans forget about former Syracuse and Nebraska linebacker transfer Stefon Thompson. He already has familiarity with Tony White since he was the defensive coordinator with the Cornhuskers and Orange.
Head football coach Mike Norvell made the following statement about Thompson to the media after the Seminoles' second spring scrimmage on Saturday:
"I think Stefon has been awesome in that room because he is a guy that has a lot of experience. He's such a good young man who is trying to help build his teammates. I think he is looking as good as he has looked throughout his career. He's back to being fully healthy."
The redshirt senior has had 199 total tackles (20 for loss), 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and two pass breakups during his collegiate career at Syracuse and Nebraska.
While I am not saying that he is a surefire starter, Thompson was brought into the Seminoles' defense to be a veteran leader, help others get acclimated to Tony White's defense, and provide contributions to a position group that did not perform that well last season.
Omar Graham Jr. flashed towards the end of the year, Blake Nichelson was often in the right position but did not record the necessary tackles, and Justin Cryer suffered an injury in the game versus North Carolina.
It does not hurt that the defense wants to add depth to a position group that is pivotal in being able to stop opposing teams' rushing attacks.