Back in July 2025, TN community member JP Money had a great idea- let’s look back on the hits and misses among prep signees under Mike Norvell. Now that we’re over half a year removed from that piece and starting spring ball, why not revisit things for the transfer portal signees?
Mike Norvell is entering this seventh season as the head coach for Florida State Seminoles this fall. Let’s take a look to see how many transfer portal signees developed into contributors for the program (or are expected
to this coming season). I defined “contributors” as players who have been full-time or partial starters, significant role players, or consistent depth options over the course of their careers in Tallahassee.
Come with me, once again, down the rabbit hole.
2020 (ranked 4th, 10 enrollees)
High level/impact starter
- RB Jashaun Corbin
- OL Devontay Love-Taylor
- DL Fabian Lovett
- DB Jarrian Jones
Solid depth/partial starter
- TE Jordan Wilson
- DL Jarrett Jackson
- DB Meiko Dotson
Minimal/no impact
- DL Deonte Williams
- LB Cornell Jones
- DB Caleb Blake
Not a terrible hit rate by any means for the first class of transfers under Norvell. Corbin, Love-Taylor, Lovett, and Jones turned into starters. Corbin rushed for 887 yards and seven touchdowns in his final year in Tallahassee after playing a rotational role the prior year. Jarrian Jones and Lovett left Mississippi State as a package deal and while they dealt with inconsistency and nagging injuries, respectively, both eventually played significant roles in raising the level of play on defense. Love-Taylor had 16 starts and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention.
Wilson lost his initial year in Tallahassee to injury and while he only caught 11 balls for 132 yards in his lone season of action, he ended the season as FSU’s top tight end and showed the importance of having a tight end serve as a “sixth OL” in run packages. Jackson provided decent depth for two seasons before leaving for Michigan State and playing 16 total snaps in one game for the Spartans. Dotson started four of 10 total games over two seasons in the DB rotation. Williams, Cornell Jones, and Blake did nothing.
Contributor rate: 70%
2021 (ranked 3rd, 12 enrollees)
High level/impact starter
- OL Dillan Gibbons
- DL Jermaine Johnson
- DL Keir Thomas
- DB Jammie Robinson
Solid depth/partial starter
- QB McKenzie Milton
- WR Andrew Parchment
- DB Jarques McClellion
Minimal/no impact
- RB DJ Williams
- DL Marcus Cushnie
- LB Cortez Andrews
- DB Brandon Moore
- DB Joe Lang
Ah, the Jermaine Johnson transfer class. The first example where Norvell proved that a talented player looking for more opportunity could come to FSU and make it to the first round of the NFL Draft. But Johnson, who was a one-season revelation and earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year among all kinds of awards, wasn’t the only important addition this cycle. Gibbon is perhaps the most important offensive lineman FSU has signed under Norvell when you factor in his enormous impact on the culture of the locker room and his contributions off the field in addition to his contributions on the field. Gibbons started every game in his two seasons at FSU and earned first team All-ACC honors his final year. Thomas and Robinson started the multi-year South Carolina to FSU pipeline and both developed into integral defenders and NFL draft picks.
Milton will forever be remembered for his gutsy performance against Notre Dame, but was otherwise forgettable in the rest of the action he saw. Parchment will always be remembered for that glorious game-winning touchdown against Miami but was otherwise an average performer, while McClellion put in two seasons of rotational contributions as a quality depth piece.
Williams didn’t see much action before transferring to Arizona and finding success there. Cushnie was a major disappointment, Moore left the program before ever playing in a game, and Andrews and Lang were walk-on equivalents.
Contributor rate: 58%
2022 (ranked 10th, 14 enrollees)
High level/impact starter
- RB Trey Benson
- WR Johnny Wilson
- OL D’Mitri Emmanuel
- OL Jazston Turnetine
- DE Jared Verse
- LB Tatum Bethune
Solid depth/partial starter
- RB Caziah Holmes
- WR Deuce Spann
- WR Mycah Pittman
- OL Bless Harris
- DB Greedy Vance
Minimal/no impact
- WR Winston Wright
- OL Kayden Lyles
- DB Malik Feaster
A hit rate of nearly 80% on a class of 14 transfers is great work no matter where you are, and the 2022 transfer class laid the foundation for the greatness to come in 2023. I would argue it proved to be the most important to date under Norvell, and earned him contention for the Portal King title.
FSU bet big on Benson recovering from a nasty knee injury and won big, with Benson accumulating just under 1900 rushing yards and 25 total touchdowns in two seasons. Wilson couldn’t completely shed his inconsistency but still proved a dominant force on the outside, eventually forming a deadly duo alongside fellow transfer Keon Coleman in 2023. Emmanuel reunited with former Charlotte 49ers position coach Alex Atkins and started all 27 games he played in, earning various all-ACC nods in each of his two seasons and helping establish consistency and culture along the offensive line. Turnetine could be argued for either high level or solid depth, but starting eight of 13 games and coming on strong toward the end of the season gives him the nod in my book. Verse was a force of nature at defensive end and arguably the most talented transfer Mike Norvell has ever signed, while Bethune was a steady and reliable presence at linebacker who maxed out his ceiling under Randy Shannon.
Holmes was often (puzzlingly) the odd man out in the RB rotations but certainly qualified as solid depth. Spann didn’t contribute much from a receiving standpoint but that return touchdown against Duke gets him into the solid depth tier for me. Pittman showed value in the return game and had a decent year in Tallahassee, though he never reached the potential FSU hoped for and transferred to Utah for a final year. Harris lost his first year to injury and started a handful of games in his second season, later finding greater success at his next destination, TCU. Vance was a solid contributor, particularly in the nickel role in Adam Fuller’s scheme, though his play often left much to be desired before he left for USC to end his career.
Wright is a sad case of what might have been, missing his first season in Tallahassee after sustaining a serious injury in a car accident and never being able to overcome it, though he eventually transferred to East Carolina and found modest success there. Lyles never suited up for FSU due to injury, a big blow considering he was a former Rimington Watch Lister at Wisconsin. Feaster did nothing in his lone season in garnet and gold but became a contributor at Memphis the next year.
Contributor rate: 79%
2023 (ranked 6th, 12 enrollees)
High level/impact starter
- WR Keon Coleman
- TE Jaheim Bell
- OL Casey Roddick
- OL Jeremiah Byers
- DL Braden Fiske
- DL Darrell Jackson Jr.
- DB Fentrell Cypress
Solid depth/partial starter
- TE Kyle Morlock
- OL Keiondre Jones
- DL Gilber Edmond
- LB Juice Cryer
Minimal/no impact
- DB Peter Warrick
If the 2022 transfer class was Norvell’s most important, the 2023 portal class represented a group full of players with huge expectations and varying degrees of attainment- some exceptional, some frustratingly subpar, but boasting the highest overall contributor rate at a blistering 92%. While certainly one of, if not the best to matriculate into Tallahassee, this is also a transfer class that could have easily been one of the greatest transfer classes nationally since the birth of the portal but was waylaid by some underperformers at key positions.
Those who held up their end of the bargain, exceeding or matching high expectations? Coleman was a massive addition, immediately showcasing his star power against LSU with three touchdowns in his first appearance and adding more highlight reel performances throughout 2023. Fiske teamed with Verse (and has since done so again in the NFL with the Rams) to front a fearsome defensive line unit and saved his best for last, notching three sacks against Louisville in the ACC Championship game. Bell carved out a strong role quickly, attaining over 500 receiving yards while showcasing great blocking and landing second team all-ACC. Jackson wasn’t able to play in the 2023 regular season but was a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable 2025 campaign. Roddick, Jones, and Byers, while inconsistent and frustrating at times, ended up being contributors along the offensive line and essentially lived up to FSU’s expectations coming in.
Speaking of expectations… the players FSU invested in who failed to deliver on their high promise definitely contributed to the 2024 disaster. Fentrell Cypress held down a starting corner position in both of his seasons despite not coming close to the player he was at Virginia. FSU really could’ve benefitted from the UVA version of Cypress. Gilber Edmond was counted on to be a high level rotational player at edge with starting capability, but only managed one sack in 14 games before transferring back to South Carolina. Cryer was eventually able to carve out some starting reps in an atrocious linebacker unit but was also capped out developmentally and likely should not have been more than a rotational player for most of his time in Tallahassee. He has since transferred. And then there’s Kyle Morlock, one of the most frustrating misses to date under Norvell. FSU (and many of us) believed that Morlock had all of the intangibles and measurables that would allow him to develop into a major impact player in Tallahassee and have a legitimate shot at the NFL. Instead, Seminoles faithful watched Morlock slog through two painful campaigns full of dropped passes and mental errors on his way to a paltry career total of 402 yards on 32 catches and zero touchdowns. He could not make the transition to major college football and it cost FSU in more ways than one.
Contributor rate: 92%
2024 (ranked 7th, 17 enrollees)
High level/impact starter
- OL Jacob Rizy
- OL Richie Leonard IV
- DL Marvin Jones Jr.
- DB Earl Little Jr.
Solid depth/partial starter
- QB DJ Uiagalelei
- RB Roydell Williams
- WR Malik Benson
- OL Terrance Ferguson
- DL Grady Kelly
- LB Cam Riley
Minimal/no impact
- WR Jalen Brown
- DL Tomiwa Durojaiye
- DL Sione Lolohea
- LB Shawn Murphy
- DB Omarion Cooper
- DB Davonte Brown
Real talk, I wouldn’t blame you for just skipping over this class. I wish I could. After back-to-back transfer portal classes that took him to great heights, the 2024 cycle played a significant role when it all came crashing down. Ten of the 17 signees were given 4-star rankings by 247, but I would argue that the only one to come close to living up to that billing was Little, and even he was maddeningly inconsistent more often than would be acceptable. It was a master class in the failure that happens when you rely on relationships from prep recruiting and DON’T keep in mind what happened at the first collegiate stop. Mike and his staff thought they could salvage everyone and yikes, did they fail hard.
I know it looks like I was absurdly generous with some of these guys but when you add in the context of just how bad the 2024 team was, being an impact start or partial starter was a very low bar. So keep that in mind. Little was the bright spot before transferring to Ohio State this offseason and Jacob Rizy was a pleasant surprise, as he punched above his weight and ended up as a reliable swing offensive lineman and among the more dependable options on a very poor OL. Leonard battled injuries and arguably raised the floor of the unit a smidge, but was otherwise below average most of the time. Jones Jr. was a significant disappointment and only attained modest production before transferring to Oklahoma, where he again found nothing above mediocrity.
We’ve talked enough about the disaster that was DJU, so I’m not going to waste any more space on him. Roydell Williams was unable to overcome injuries and poor vision, Malik Benson’s primary talents were wasted by poor QB play and blocking (as evidenced by the great year he just had with the Oregon Ducks), Kelly provided decent depth and basically hit what FSU expected from him before transferring again, Riley provided rotational help and also hit his expectations, and Ferguson managed to finish as one of the worst offensive line performers in the modern history of the program before somewhat rehabilitating his image at Syracuse last year. It’s the first (and hopefully only) time in my life that I ever publicly called for a player to never put on a Seminole jersey again based on performance alone.
Then you have the grouping who was either waylaid by injury or was just a flat-out terrible take. I was so excited about Jalen Brown but he provided nothing more than drops and a poor attitude that saw him get dismissed from the program. Durojaiye, for reasons unknown, never really played and has since transferred twice more. Lolohea was not able to add anything to the pass rush, Murphy lost the majority of the season to injury prior to transferring and finding starter-level success at South Carolina, Cooper did nothing in his second stint in Tallahassee, and I bet you forgot Davonte Brown was ever on the team before you read his name here.
The spectacular failures from this class, especially when considering (lack of) return of investment, is a cautionary tale for modern football coaches. Damn shame it had to be authored by FSU.
Contributor rate: 59%
2025 (ranked 6th, 23 enrollees)
High level/impact starter
- QB Tommy Castellanos
- RB Gavin Sawchuk
- WR Duce Robinson
- TE Randy Pittman
- OL Luke Petitbon
- OL Gunnar Hansen
- OL Micah Pettus
- OL Adrian Medley
- DB Jerry Wilson
Solid depth/partial starter
- TE Markeston Douglas
- Edge James Williams
- DL Deante McCray
- DL Jayson Jenkins
- LB Elijah Herring
- LB Stefon Thompson
Minimal/no impact
- QB Jaylen King
- WR Squirrel White
- WR Gavin Blackwell
- OL Josh Raymond
- OL Ja’Elyne Matthews
- DL Deamontae Diggs
- LB Caleb LaVallee
- DB Jarvin Boatwright
This is the first portal class that is still in progress, another nod to just how bad the 2024 cycle was. FSU worked to right its wrongs from 2024 and an influx of new coaches helped a bit. The instant/high-impact starters found differing levels of success. Robinson has proven to be a fantastic addition on and off the field, easily the crown jewel of this class. Castellanos was basically who we thought he’d be, warts and all, and Sawchuk figured prominently into the running back rotation (if not puzzlingly so). The four offensive linemen brought in to be starters raised the floor of the room under Herb Hand. Jerry Wilson was… disappointing.
In the next tier, there are names with plenty of reps and varying degrees of production. Thompson and McCray were as advertised. Williams and Jenkins certainly were not, and have both moved on, as has another disappointment in Herring. Douglas had a quiet garnet and gold reunion. Better play from Herring and Williams, and not rushing Jenkins back too early from injury, might’ve been the difference between a winning record and FSU’s 5-7 finish.
The final tier is comprised of guys who didn’t offer much (some expected, others not so much), though a couple have the opportunity to get off the minimal/no impact tier. White was grossly misutilized based on his skill set and outside of a massive catch against Alabama, just kind of took up space. Diggs was unable to level up to the better competition, though he apparently has another year in the program upcoming. LaVallee was injured all year and should hopefully be healthy in 2026. King did his job running the scout team and has moved on to Mercer. Boatwright, Matthews, and Raymond were all brought in with the understanding they wouldn’t see the field much, and that proved true (Matthews and Raymond have since transferred again). Blackwell remains one of the dumbest takes in FSU transfer portal history.
Contributor rate: 65% (to date)
2026 (ranked 27th, 23 enrollees)
Quarterback Ashton Daniels (Auburn), 1 year of eligibility left
Quarterback Dean DeNobile (Lafayette College), 1 year of eligibility left
Running back Tre Wisner (Texas), 1 year of eligibility left
Running back Gemari Sands (FAU), 2 years of eligibility left
Tight end Desirrio Riles (East Carolina), 1 year of eligibility left
Offensive lineman Nate Pabst (Bowling Green), 1 year of eligibility left
Offensive lineman Bradyn Joiner (Purdue), 2 years of eligibility left
Offensive lineman Paul Bowling (Troy), 3 years of eligibility left
Offensive lineman Xavier Chaplin (Auburn), 1 year of eligibility remaining
Offensive lineman Chimdia Nwaiwu (Stephen F. Austin), 2 years of eligibility left
Edge rusher Rylan Kennedy (Texas A&M), 2 years of eligibility left
Defensive tackle Jordan Sanders (Texas State), 1 year of eligibility left
Linebacker Chris Jones (Southern Miss), 2 years of eligibility left
Linebacker Mikai Gbayor (UNC), 1 year of eligibility left (needs waiver)
Defensive back Nehemiah Chandler (South Alabama), 3 years of eligibility left
Defensive back Karson Hobbs (Notre Dame), 2 years of eligibility left
Defensive back CJ Richard (Illinois State), 3 years of eligibility left
Defensive back Ma’khi Jones (Duke Blue Devils), 3 years of eligibility left
Long snapper Caleb Bowers (North Dakota State Bison), 1 year of eligibility left
Kicker Gabe Panikowski (Oklahoma State), 1 year of eligibility left
Kicker Conor McAneney (Quincy University), 3 years of eligibility left
Punter Daniel Hughes (New Mexico), 3 years of eligibility left
