Transfers to monitor for Florida State.

Florida State football fans knew that the Seminoles needed some sort of spark this offseason after the squad went 2-10 during the 2024 season. I still cannot believe that the Seminoles did that badly last year. It feels like a nightmare that most individuals want to forget.

Head football coach Mike Norvell knew that there needed to be major changes. Complacency was no longer an option as Florida State no longer had a combined 23-4 record over the past two seasons.

To get out of this mess, the Seminoles had to acquire highly-touted recruits and transfers. I would say that the Early Signing Period was a success (can still sign more high schoolers/JUCO players in February) since Florida State had a top-20 recruiting class after the season they had.

Plus, Florida State pulled in three transfers so far in quarterback Thomas Castellanos, tight end Markeston Douglas, and linebacker Stefon Thompson. They are far from finished in the portal, though. As a result, I want to highlight ten transfers that need to focus on.

WR DUCE ROBINSON (USC)

Florida State has not acquired any talented wide receivers yet. However, sophomore 6’6″ playmaker Duce Robinson from USC seems to be an offensive player that the Seminoles would be involved with, especially considering that his father (Dominic Robinson) played for Florida State from 2001-2004.

Duce Robinson is expected to visit the Seminoles this week. He recorded 39 receptions for 747 yards and seven touchdowns during his two-year career with the Trojans.

WR MARIO CARVER (MISSISSIPPI STATE)

The true freshman wide receiver Mario Carver from Mississippi State had a solid 2024 campaign for the Bulldogs, where he recorded 17 receptions for 368 yards and three touchdowns.

The former four-star prospect from Pinson, Alabama, could give a team some needed speed in the slot with his 5’11” frame. Carver could help Florida State’s wide receiver core turn the worst receiving core of the ACC into something serviceable. The playmaker could be visiting FSU later in the week.

WR KEVIN CONCEPCION (NC STATE)

It might seem like a long shot, but North Carolina State sophomore wide receiver Kevin Concepcion included Florida State in his top six schools list. Wide receivers coach Ron Dugans is no longer in Tallahassee, and Tim Harris Jr. has assumed the new role.

Concepcion is a certified playmaker where he has recorded 1,299 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons with the Wolfpack. It is a bit worrisome for landing the pass catcher since he has visited Alabama and could be in discussion with taking a trip to Colorado. However, if Florida State gets a chance, then it could be scary.

WR O’MEGA BLAKE (CHARLOTTE)

Florida State needs veteran playmakers that are proven in the offense. The Seminoles had senior wide receiver Malik Benson last year, who they brought in via the transfer portal. However, Benson did not do much with the Alabama Crimson Tide the previous year.

Senior wide receiver O’Mega Blake is someone that the Seminoles have an interest in. Blake had 32 receptions for 795 yards and nine touchdowns during the 2024 season with the 49ers. That would and should be something that the coaching staff wants for its team.

WR KENDRICK LAW (ALABAMA)

Trust me, I know that Seminole fans are getting PTSD from signing Alabama wide receiver transfer Malik Benson last offseason. Benson had hype around him because of his electric speed, but he did not have much production with the Crimson Tide.

This looks like a similar story for former four-star prospect Kendrick Law, who I liked out of high school, and the coaching staff recruited him heavily at one time. The playmaker has a combined 343 receiving yards in three seasons at Alabama. However, it looks like Law could be taking a visit to Florida State soon.

TE RANDY PITTMAN (UCF)

It seems like when Florida State hired UCF head football coach Gus Malzahn to be its next offensive coordinator, UCF offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr. as the wide receivers coach, and UCF offensive line coach Herb Hand to be the offensive line coach, they would take a ton of Knights transfers.

That could be the truth, but Florida State has familiarity with sophomore tight end transfer Randy Pittman, as he was once a commitment in the Seminoles’ recruiting class. He had 32 receptions for 416 yards and two touchdowns last year. I could see him being used as a wide receiver and hybrid tight end in the offensive scheme.

TE JADEN PLATT (TEXAS A&M)

The coaching staff has coveted the tight end position. This isn’t to say that Landen Thomas is not talented, but the program has to replace the likes of Kyle Morlock, Brian Courtney, Jerrale Powers, and Jackson West

The Seminoles have expressed interest in Texas A&M tight end transfer Jaden Platt, who will visit Florida State soon. The 6’5″ and 260-pound playmaker was a four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle and only had two catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.

OL MARCELLUS MARSHALL (UCF)

Florida State had one of the worst offensive line position groups in college football. The Seminoles are in desperate need of offensive tackles as Darius Washington, Jeremiah Byers, and Robert Scott Jr. all graduated.

The Seminoles hired UCF offensive line coach Herb Hand to assume the duties of the Florida State offensive line. Coach Hand has already gone to work as offensive tackle Marcellus Marshall has visited Tallahassee recently.

OL CADEN KITLER (UCF)

Florida State fans understand the importance of having quality centers in the fold. It seemed like the Seminoles were spending so much time trying to replace Maurice Smith when they should have been grooming the next player in line when he graduated.

Coach Hand is trying to find the right fits as offensive lineman Caden Kitler, who was the Knights’ starting center, has shown interest in the Seminoles. He is expected to be in Tallahassee for a visit on December 17th.

OL GUNNAR HANSEN (VANDERBILT)

Florida State is trying to solidify its offensive line depth, especially at the offensive tackle position. It is so important to protect new transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos’s blind side.

The Seminoles might have found their answer with Vanderbilt junior offensive tackle transfer Gunnar Hansen. The talented veterans started 35 games in three seasons with the Commodores. Hansen is currently on a visit to Florida State on Monday.

OL ADDISON NICHOLS (ARKANSAS)

Well, well, well… another talented offensive lineman transfer that Florida State is looking at. While the Seminoles have not landed anyone yet, it is important to note that they are pursuing players who have experience at the SEC level.

The Seminoles are involved with Arkansas starting interior offensive lineman Addison Nichols. They will be hosting him on campus this week. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining and is listed at 6’5″ and 329 pounds.

DE JAMES WILLIAMS (NEBRASKA)

Florida State’s defensive line was advertised as one of the best in the country last offseason. That thought did not come to fruition as the squad struggled. Starting pieces such as Joshua Farmer and Marvin Jones Jr. have moved on. We still don’t know what will happen to veteran Patrick Payton.

With that being said, that should not interfere with the acquisition of Nebraska sophomore defensive end James Williams. He viewed new defensive line coach Terrance Knighton like a father. Williams already has a crystal ball prediction in favor of Florida State.

DE NYJALIK KELLY (UCF)

This is personally just a fit that I would love to see Florida State acquire. I was in love with Nyjalik Kelly out of high school, and he was even committed to the Seminoles at one point in time, so there is a relationship built there. He played with the Hurricanes for two seasons, where he had 19 tackles (six for loss) and four sacks.

Kelly had a successful 2024 campaign with the UCF Knights, as he had 53 tackles (10 for loss) and 5.5 sacks. This could be a name to monitor going forward. You can never have too many pass rushers.

DT LEE HUNTER (UCF)

Florida State decided to move longtime assistant coach Odell Haggins to the off-field role as defensive line coach Terrance Knighton is assigned with the defensive tackles.

One prospect that the Seminoles were even involved in high school was defensive tackle Lee Hunter. He came to Tallahassee for a short period recently but stated that he was making a stop and heading back to his residence in Mobile, Alabama. Texas and Texas Tech are involved, but the Seminoles could get their chance later on in the week.

LB TROY BOWLES (GEORGIA)

Former four-star linebacker Troy Bowles out of Tampa, Florida was someone that I valued a ton coming out of high school. However, the Seminoles lost out on his services and he ended up committing to the Georgia Bulldogs.

After not recording many statistics with Georgia, you thought that the Seminoles learned their lesson from taking prospects who have not had much production. However, Florida State needs talented linebackers in its rotation.

LB NIKHAI HILL-GREEN (COLORADO)

The Seminoles landed Cam Riley from Auburn and Shawn Murphy from Alabama at the linebacker position during the last offseason. Both Riley and Murphy were disappointing, so obviously, they had to go find other options.

However, last offseason, Florida State hosted Charlotte linebacker transfer Nikhai Hill-Green on a visit. But he decided to sign with Colorado instead of the Seminoles. He recorded 82 tackles last season for the Buffaloes.

FSU football: OL transfer portal target Caden Kitler chooses Arkansas

FSU football is in the transfer portal market for offensive linemen. They need several because there’s a lack of talent and depth from the previous offensive line coach’s failures, and they have gotten several players on campus since the portal opened nearly two weeks ago.

One target was UCF’s Caden Kitler, who played for new FSU offensive line coach Herb Hand over the past two years. The redshirt sophomore has two years of eligibility remaining and had visited Arkansas earlier in the week before visiting FSU.
If this were recruiting a few years ago, you’d think FSU would have been in the driver’s seat. They received the final visit before his decision and have the guy on staff who has coached him for the past two years. That wasn’t the case, as Kitler announced he would commit to Arkansas on Thursday morning.