A homecoming has been announced today, as former Tallahassee resident and South Alabama defensive back Nehemiah Chandler has officially signed with FSU.
Chandler, a 6-foot-1, 180 pound defensive back, is
originally from Jacksonville, Florida but had stints at Godby High School and Wakulla High School as a prep. He committed to Georgia Tech and enrolled early, only to hit the transfer portal after a redshirt year and land with South Alabama for the 2025 season.
Chandler found success in his first year as a contributor, starting 9 of 11 games at boundary cornerback as a redshirt freshman. He notched 32 tackles (22 solo and 2.5 for loss), 13 pass breakups, and two interceptions. He led the Sun Belt conference in pass breakups and was named First Team All-Sun Belt for his efforts.
Chandler has three seasons of eligibility remaining. He should factor in to the defensive back rotation and it will be interesting to see where FSU slots him. He has some decent versatility and should be able to contribute fairly quickly once he learns the schemes. Chandler showed good instincts and physicality but will need to adapt to a higher level of competition.
Chandler’s bio:
Played 11 games with 10 starts at cornerback for South Alabama in 2025…totaled 32 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and 13 pass breakups…pass breakups total tied South Alabama single-season record, led Sun Belt Conference and ranked second nationally…ranked third nationally with 1.36 passes defended per game…interceptions came in back-to-back games against Troy and Arkansas State…recorded career-high three pass breakups at Georgia State…made career-high six tackles vs. Arkansas State…set career high with 1.5 tackles for loss at Troy…selected as team captain for Jaguars’ game vs. Louisiana…played in one game as true freshman at Georgia Tech…returns to Tallahassee after graduating as three-star prospect from Wakulla High School in class of 2024…played wide receiver and quarterback in addition to defensive back duties during prep career…led Wakulla to undefeated regular season during senior year.
