FSU Football Receives 'A+' Transfer Portal Grade Following Spring Practice

The Seminoles hit a "grand slam" with their transfer portal class this offseason.

Kade Kimble | May 6, 2024

Apr 20, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (4) / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

The Florida State Seminoles and Mike Norvell are building off a 13-1 campaign in 2023, which included taking down the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC Championship. Their lone loss, a 63-3 defeat to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl, came with countless opt-outs as players either entered the portal or sat out as NFL Draft prospects.

As expected, after the incredibly strong season, the roster needed a bit of a reload. This is normal during the transfer portal and NIL era in college football, but it was needed even more after ten Seminoles were selected during the 2024 NFL Draft.

Norvell has been elite in acquiring talent out of the portal for years. It's been a big part of him turning Florida State back into an elite college football program. The portal success is also a huge reason he earned such a large contract extension. Norvell proved he can continue to win in the portal this offseason, properly reloading the program with talent, and getting ready to compete for the 2024 college football season.

CBS Sports handed out letter grades to college football programs. LSU saw their program get a C+, with Florida and Auburn both getting a B-. Florida State, though, received an outstanding A+ grade for its transfer portal haul.

"Florida State and Mike Norvell have gotten the most out of their transfers over the past couple of years and built the nucleus of his program in the portal. DJ Uiagalelei (No. 78) headlines the group as the starting quarterback coming in from Oregon State by way of Clemson," Clint Brewster wrote.

With Jordan Travis leaving for pro football after five incredible seasons in Tallahassee, addressing the quarterback position was a huge need. The Seminoles have young quarterbacks in the room, though they still need to be developed and the program needed a "win now" guy. Uiagalelei is just that.

On top of landing an incredible quarterback to lead the program into the next season, they equipped him with weapons to help boost his chance to compete at the highest level.

"Marvin Jones Jr. (No. 38) is an imposing edge player from Georgia and wideout Malik Benson (No. 77) from Alabama has NFL potential. Wide receiver Jalen Brown (No. 66) was also a highly regarded prospect who started his career at LSU. This was a grand slam for the Seminoles," Brewster continued.

Once again, Florida State is going to have some solid production on both sides of the ball. Players coming in and putting on garnet and gold for the first time understand they're playing for a program with high expectations, and it's going to show.

With a 12-team College Football Playoff format being introduced this season, winning in the portal was huge for Norvell. His elite portal classes have bled into his high school recruiting, but getting contributors for next season while the young players are being developed was crucial for this team being a playoff team next season and an overall consistent program.

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

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Published May 6, 2024

KADE KIMBLE