Checking in on FSU’s transfer portal class after two games

In the first four years of Mike Norvell’s tenure, the head coach battled with Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin for the claim of ‘Portal King’ as Norvell flipped a dormant Florida State roster to one with NFL talent, leading to a steady rise back to national prominence.

However, the head man’s house of cards came crumbling down in 2024 as the Seminoles whiffed on most of their first-year transfers in 2024 due to poor evaluations and bad fits. Needing an immediate remedy after the season, Norvell once again turned

to the transfer portal to microwave his roster. Florida State took in 23 transfers during the winter and spring windows in hopes of overhauling a program that required a facelift.

Through two games and three weeks, Norvell seems to have regained his portal touch, with a revamped roster vaulting the Noles back into playoff contention in a shocking turnaround. Below is one thought on each first-year transfer as Florida State finishes off its preparations for Kent State.

1. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos: Castellanos has been the perfect player for the Seminoles on and off the field. Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn handed the keys to Castellanos from the opening drive of the season and has complete trust in the Boston College transfer. Off the field, Castellanos is the leader Florida State lacked a season ago and can be considered the linchpin in the FSU locker room.
2. Quarterback Jaylen King: King transferred to Florida State in the spring window and was not one of the four quarterbacks to play in the blowout win over East Texas A&M.
3. Running back Gavin Sawchuck: Even though Sawchuck transferred into a crowded running back room in the spring, he is what the Seminoles needed: a veteran, one-cut runner to give a change-of-pace between the bruising nature of Roydell Williams and Ousmane Kromah and the speed of Jaylin Lucas and Sam Singleton. Sawchuck will continue to be the lead back with Williams sidelined with an injury.
4. Wide receiver Duce Robinson: The Robin to Castellanos’ Batman, Robinson put on display against ETAMU and proved why Florida State believes strongly in Robinson being a true #1 WR in a top offense. Robinson is clearly Castellanos’ favorite target, and as teams try to stop the Seminole run game, Robinson will need to take advantage of one-on-one opportunities.
5. Wide receiver Squirrel White: White’s deep catch on 3rd&10 in the first quarter against Alabama will be looked back on throughout the season as the turning point in Norvell’s tenure if the Noles continue to have success. White left the ETAMU game early, and his status for Saturday is uncertain. A healthy White will be crucial to give Castellanos a veteran option outside of Robinson.
6. Wide receiver Gavin Blackwell: Blackwell was brought in during the spring and is a CFB veteran, but has only played five snaps through two games and does not appear to be in the Florida State plans at this point in the year.
7. Center Luke Petitbon: If Castellanos is the most important piece on the offense, then Petitbon is a close second. The sixth-year senior diagnoses the game at an advanced level and seems to always be in the right place at the right time. After playing his whole career with Wake Forest before coming to Tallahassee, Petitbon’s experience will be a wonderful asset heading into ACC play.
8. Offensive tackle Micah Pettus: Pettus’ play to open the season has gone under the radar. The Ole Miss transfer holds an 84.8 pass blocking grade according to PFF, the highest mark on the FSU roster, and ranks fifth on the offense in snaps played.
9. Offensive tackle Adrian Medley: Medley easily transitioned to Florida State after coming over from UCF with Gus Malzahn. He ranks tied for first on the offense in snaps and will be a Swiss Army knife along the offensive line due to his versatility when injuries inevitably arise.
10. Offensive tackle Gunnar Hansen: While not a weak point by any stretch, the Seminoles are still waiting on the best version of Hansen. The Vanderbilt transfer missed time during the spring with an injury and seems to be still catching up for lost reps. Hansen is also tied for first on the offense in snaps, but is the lowest graded starting OL according to PFF.
11. Offensive tackle Ja’Elyne Matthews: Matthews transferred to Florida State during the spring after one semester at Rutgers and has not played a snap in 2025.
12. Offensive tackle Josh Raymond: Raymond transferred to FSU after redshirting with Vanderbilt in 2024. Raymond has also not played a snap in 2025.
13. Tight end Markeston Douglas: For all the noise around Douglas in the offseason, he put on his hard hat to begin the year and has done plenty of dirty work in the run game. Stepping up for the injured Randy Pittman Jr., Douglas has played 64 snaps, the second-highest mark from a skill position player, with 49 of those coming on runs.
14. Tight end Randy Pittman Jr.: The UCF tight end became the unsung hero in FSU’s win over Alabama in week one. Clearly, Pittman Jr. did all that he could to play in that game as Norvell ruled him out for the next few weeks after the Tide came to town. Florida State is deep enough at tight end to handle his loss for the near future, but Pittman Jr.‘s veteran presence, understanding of the offense and blocking will be critical down the stretch.
15. Defensive lineman James Williams: Williams transferred to Florida State with his defensive coaching staff, who left Nebraska to come to FSU. Williams instantly became a leader on the team due to his magnetic personality and knowledge of the 3-3-5 scheme. However, through two weeks, the Seminoles are looking for more out of their highly sought-after transfer nicknamed “Sack Man.” Hopefully, a week off will allow Williams to reset and help him find his game.
16. Defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins: According to the coaching staff, Jenkins underwent an injury that seemed likely to keep him off the field for the start of the season, but the Tennessee transfer attacked his rehab and willed himself to play against Alabama. Jenkins has been a perfect fit in the Tony White defense, lining up inside and outside while recording a tackle in each of the first two games of the season.
17. Defensive lineman Deamontae Diggs: Diggs came to Tallahassee as a ‘high-floor’ type of transfer, but has yet to make a massive impact after playing only 11 snaps against Alabama and seven snaps versus ETAMU.
18. Defensive lineman Deante McCray: McCray seems destined to take the next step with more playing time after receiving all above-average grades against Alabama. With an unproven defensive line, the door is open for McCray to become a valuable rotational piece along the defensive front.
19. Linebacker Stefon Thompson: While lower on the depth chart than initially expected due to the breakout of Justin Cryer, Thompson’s leadership and knowledge of the defense have vaulted the linebacker room towards one of the best position groups on the roster. He did get banged up against ETAMU so his health over the next couple of weeks will be an important watch.
20. Linebacker Elijah Herring: Herring leads the linebacker room in snaps and looks to be putting it all together after a couple of injury-plagued seasons early in his career. The Memphis transfer recorded four tackles against Alabama and will be used in all situations throughout the year.
21. Linebacker Caleb LaVallee: LaVallee has not played in 2025 due to an injury and Norvell told the local Tallahassee media two weeks ago that they hope the linebacker returns in the “near future.”
22. Defensive back Jerry Wilson: With a hole at cornerback at the end of spring practice, Florida State brought in Wilson from Houston and he has been everything the secondary needed. Wilson’s man-to-man skills helped shut down WR Ryan Williams against Alabama and resulted in his first interception as a Seminole the following week. While not the biggest guy on the field, Wilson competes with desired intensity from Norvell and his staff, leading to Wilson ranking first on the defense in snaps.
23. Defensive back Jarvis Boatwright Jr.: Boatwright Jr. transferred to Florida State from USC in the spring window after one season in Los Angeles and made his FSU debut against ETAMU.