College Football HQ

Major college football program loses nine players to transfer portal

Rowan Fisher Shotton|
Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell gestures against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell gestures against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

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Florida State Seminoles

Florida State closes 2025 at 5-7 (2-6 ACC) after a season marked by marquee highs, including an opening-week win over No. 8 Alabama and a 77–3 blowout of East Texas A&M, and equally costly lows, with double-digit losses to Clemson, NC State, and Florida to close the year.

The inconsistency, particularly in ACC play, left Florida State on the outside of the bowl picture for a second consecutive season under coach Mike Norvell, a sharp contrast to the program’s 13-1 breakout just two years earlier.

In the wake of that disappointing year, another name joined the Seminoles’ growing list of offseason departures on Friday, as redshirt freshman wide receiver Camdon Frier is set to enter the NCAA transfer portal, according to multiple reports.

Frier becomes the ninth Florida State player to enter the portal since the end of the regular season.

The transfers piling up are notable, including safety Edwin Joseph, running back Jaylin Lucas, offensive tackle Mario Nash Jr., edge rusher LaJesse Harrold, linebacker Jayden Parrish, defensive linemen Jamorie Flagg and Tyeland Coleman, and wide receivers Willy Suarez and Frier.

On paper, Joseph is the clearest immediate gap, a starter in the secondary who recorded 37 tackles, five passes defended and three interceptions in 2025.

Lucas, while not a full-time starter, offered multirole value (27 rushes, 160 yards; 11 catches for 88 yards; nine kickoff returns for 221 yards) and thus leaves a special-teams hole. 

The exits of young offensive- and defensive-line players like Nash, Flagg, and Coleman erode depth in the trenches, an area where continuity is vital.

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell.
Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell walks on the field before a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Florida State’s athletic department has already signaled it would retain Norvell for 2026 while promising structural changes and more resources for recruiting and personnel. 

That decision narrows the margin for error, requiring Florida State to both slow outgoing transfers and succeed in the portal when the window opens on Jan. 2-16.

Beyond the loss of individual players, the volume of departures raises broader questions about organizational stability at a program that peaked with an ACC title in 2023 under Norvell but has since struggled to sustain momentum.

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Rowan Fisher
ROWAN FISHER SHOTTON

Rowan Fisher-Shotton is a versatile journalist known for sharp analysis, player-driven storytelling, and quick-turn coverage across CFB, CBB, the NBA, WNBA, and NFL. A Wilfrid Laurier alum and lifelong athlete, he’s written for FanSided, Pro Football Network, Athlon Sports, and Newsweek, tackling every beat with both a reporter’s edge and a player’s eye.

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