The spring college football transfer portal will be from Wednesday, April 16th to Friday, April 25th. During this time, athletes will have the opportunity to stay at their respective schools or test the waters in the "free agent market".
College football has suddenly become a Wild West as the Nico Iamaleava situation at Tennessee is still shocking to some individuals. This isn't your grandfather's college football sport anymore. The times are rapidly evolving.
Florida State football acquired 16 transfers this offseason and could potentially add more with departures on the way out the door. The Seminoles finished with a 2-10 record in 2024, so head football coach Mike Norvell will try to do everything that he can to ensure they get back to their winning ways.
Norvell gave the media a hint that there will be changes to the roster soon because he stated that some players are not giving maximum effort, which is a quality that he looks for in his squads.
I don't want to throw any players on the current roster under the bus because I have the utmost respect for this wonderful university, those individuals, their families, and the coaching staff. As a result, I will only highlight five positions that will likely see some attrition.
RUNNING BACK
Florida State went out and hired former UCF head football coach Gus Malzahn to be its new offensive coordinator. Malzahn has been known to establish the running game early and often within his schemes.
Specifically last year with the Knights, he relied heavily on the workhorse RJ Harvey. The Seminoles have a ton of backs that are similar and still have four-star signee Ousmane Kromah enrolling this summer. This could be a situation where there are too many mouths to feed.
WIDE RECEIVER
Florida State added USC's Duce Robinson and Tennessee's Squirrel White this offseason via the transfer portal. It is worth mentioning that the wide receivers were one of the worst in the country last year. It is a new era at the wide receiver position as Tim Harris Jr. takes over as the assistant coach.
The experiment of Malik Benson (now at Oregon) and Jalen Brown (still on the roster) did not work last year. As a result, the coaching staff is doubling down on the transfer portal route. Florida State does have some talented younger options such as Jayvan Boggs that could push other promising players out that have been plagued by injuries.
OFFENSIVE LINE
I realize that the Seminoles' offensive line was horrendous last year. The fan base thought that the experience would have paid dividends to ensure that the offense ran like a well-oiled machine. However, it operated like a chicken with its head cut off.
Herb Hand will now take over the responsibility of the offensive line. He immediately brought in pieces such as Micah Pettus, Gunnar Hansen, Luke Petitbon, and Adrian Medley. They are probably penciled in as starters (if healthy). In that case, there could be other offensive linemen on the roster who will look elsewhere in hopes of getting significant reps.
DEFENSIVE END
Florida State hired Nebraska's Terrance Knighton to be its new defensive line coach. This is part of a new era in Tallahassee with former Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White leading the charge on defense. It is a new philosophy filled with renewed energy.
Overall, the Seminoles did not get after the quarterback in 2024 where Patrick Payton and Marvin Jones Jr. are at different schools now, respectively. The program added James Williams, Deamontae Diggs, and Deante McCray via the transfer portal. Then added recruits such as Tylon Lee, LaJesse Harrold, Darryll Desir, and Mandrell Desir. This could force someone out at the defensive end spot.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Florida State unfortunately lost defensive backs such as Azareye'h Thomas, Fentrell Cypress II, and Kevin Knowles II to the NFL. The Seminoles are regarded to be in the conversation for "DBU" so they should be able to retool their depth at the position.
The Seminoles have a lot of youngsters at the defensive back position that they are excited about such as Shamar Arnoux, Charles Lester III, Cai Bates, Jamari Howard, and Ricky Knight III. Could some of the veterans in the room get nervous about one of them jumping in the rotation?