Florida State football had a transfer portal haul last offseason from the defensive end spot that did not pan out as well as it thought it would as James Williams, Deamontae Diggs, Jayson Jenkins, and Deante McCray were not impact starters.
The jury is still out on McCray since he is still on the roster, but he will have to prove the doubters wrong during the 2026 season. Nonetheless, the Seminoles added nine defensive linemen in their 2026 recruiting class, so chances are a couple of them will be successful.
Florida State has building blocks that they can build around on the defensive line, such as Mandrell Desir, Darryll Desir, and Kevin Wynn. However, the Seminoles need more if they want the program to move in the right direction.
The Seminoles have been active with defensive linemen in the portal, such as Arkansas State's Cody Sigler and UCF's John Walker. However, both of them are interior defensive linemen. This is not saying that I would not want either of them in Tallahassee because they are solid talents.
While defensive tackles are important for run-stopping purposes and occasional pass rushers, true defensive ends that have a great skill set can be difference-makers for a squad's success. For example, look at Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor.
Florida State hired Syracuse's Nick Williams to be their defensive end coach, and he seems to have the right mindset to get the players to be able to play hard. However, the program has to be able to keep up with the rest of the country in getting after the quarterback.
The only defensive end prospect that seems very realistic for the Seminoles to get a visit from is Tennessee pass-rushing transfer Caleb Herring (brother of former Florida State linebacker Elijah Herring). The junior defender had 14 tackles and four sacks during the 2025 season (according to ESPN Stats and Information).
One way or the other, Florida State only has a short period of time to make ends meet with the defensive end position, and just like the quarterback, they have to get this right!