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Florida State loses another defensive back to the NCAA Transfer Portal

The Seminoles' top signee from the 2020 class is exploring his options elsewhere.

The Seminoles have had a plethora of players announce their decisions to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal since the conclusion of the regular season. That includes multiple defensive backs in true freshman Sam McCall and redshirt sophomore Sidney Williams. McCall earned snaps at cornerback and worked at safety while Williams was previously a safety who spent a lot of time at linebacker in 2022.

On Sunday afternoon, Florida State saw another member of the defensive backfield depart from the program in redshirt sophomore Demorie Tate, who announced the news on social media after three years in Tallahassee.

"To begin I want to give a special thanks to my lord and savior Jesus Christ for this opportunity, without him I am nothing.

To all staff, coaches, trainers, and teammates of the Florida State football organization. I couldn't be more thankful to have experienced each and every one of you, attending this University and being a part of this family was a dream come true for me. I also want to thank everyone in the academic department who was a helping hand whenever I needed it, you all will never be forgotten.

With that being said I have entered the transfer portal with multiple years of eligibility remaining."

The Florida native was the top signee in head coach Mike Norvell's inaugural recruiting class with the Seminoles in 2020. Tate stuck with his pledge to Florida State over a late push from Alabama and other programs.

Despite his talent, Tate was never able to put things together consistently enough to break into the rotation for the Seminoles. He redshirted during his true freshman season before only appearing in one game, a 59-3 victory over UMASS, in 2021. Tate failed to appear in a contest this year despite true freshman Azareye'h Thomas earning a bigger role throughout the season. He didn't record a statistic in Tallahassee.

It's anticipated that Tate will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at his next stop. The Seminoles are expected to return multiple cornerbacks next season including redshirt junior Jarrian Jones, redshirt junior Renardo Green, redshirt sophomore Greedy Vance, sophomore Kevin Knowles, sophomore Omarion Cooper, Thomas, and others.

READ MORE: Virginia DB transfer Fentrell Cypress II can see himself at Florida State following Official Visit

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