Second-Year Defensive Lineman Removed from Florida State's Roster, Expected to Move On

The NCAA Transfer Portal spring window is set to close on April 30 which means the next three days are the final opportunity for players who aren't graduate transfers to explore their options elsewhere. Florida State has already seen multiple scholarship defenders depart to the portal and that number jumped up again prior to the weekend.

On Friday, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Bishop Thomas was removed from the Seminoles' online roster. It's expected that he will enter the portal and begin looking for opportunities elsewhere.

A rising second-year player, Thomas played in two games during his only season in Tallahassee. He recorded a tackle in the victory over Boston College and ended up being named FSU's Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year while redshirting.

Florida State began to experiment with the young defender during the spring as Thomas began to cross-train at defensive end while also contributing to the interior. He showed promise at times but was unlikely to be in the two-deep this fall with the multitude of depth that the Seminoles possess.

The Lousiana is the third defensive lineman to depart from the program since the beginning of the spring, joining former starter Derrick McLendon and fellow redshirt freshman Antavious Woody. Overall, Thomas is the seventh scholarship player to transfer from Florida State over the last couple of weeks, including the sixth loss on defense. Outside of Thomas, McLendon, and Woody, linebacker Brendan Gant, safety Omarion Cooper, linebacker Stephen Dix Jr., and offensive lineman Zane Herring have all moved on.

With the departure of Thomas, NoleGameday currently projects Florida State as having 82 of 85 scholarships allocated for the 2023 season. That means the Seminoles have some room to make some noise in the portal.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the offseason

Follow NoleGameday on Twitter and Facebook