The past two seasons for the Florida State Seminoles have been a disaster landing Mike Norvell on one of the hottest seats in college football. Over the last two seasons, Florida State is just 7-17 with a 3-13 record in ACC play after this team finished the regular season undefeated in 2023. The Transfer Portal is a massive part of Mike Norvell's roster building approach, and this class is his most important class yet.
As Mike Norvell comes into the season on the hot seat, every addition he made via the Transfer Portal is incredibly important. After making 23 transfer additions, the pressure is now on Mike Norvell to make all of these pieces fit together.
Grading Mike Norvell's most important offseason at Florida State
Most Important Addition: Ashton Daniels
The Florida State Seminoles needed to add a quarterback, and Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels will be tasked with trying to save Mike Norvell's job. Daniels spent most of the season as Jackson Arnold's backup, but he was certainly more effective as the starter. Everyone envisioned this team taking less of a risk at quarterback, but this offense won't require a star at the position.
Most Impactful Addition: Xavier Chaplin
Coming into 2024, Auburn landed Xavier Chaplin who had buzz as a potential 1st Round Pick at Left Tackle. After a down season, Chaplin transfers back to the ACC, this time at Florida State looking to rebuild his draft stock. Chaplin will anchor this offensive line, and if he returns to form he's an All-ACC caliber player.
Sleeper Addition: Chris Jones
The biggest addition on defense for Florida State is Southern Miss transfer Chris Jones who's flying under the radar. This season at Southern Miss, Chris Jones racked up 133 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Jones is taking a step up in competition, but he should be the star of this defense in the middle.
Highest Upside Addition: Tre Wisner
Florida State adding Tre Wisner from Texas could end up shaping the race for the ACC, or leaving the team wishing they got more at running back. In 2024, Wisner was a breakout star for Texas, but this season he dealt with a hamstring injury, and wasn't nearly effective enough. If Wisner can return to form, he'll be the driving force for this offense while Florida State can't afford him taking another step back.
Biggest Loss: Earl Little Jr
Florida State likely thought they were losing Earl Little Jr regardless, but him pulling out of the NFL Draft to play somewhere else stings. Little leaves a massive hole in the secondary with his ability to make plays near the line of scrimmage and in coverage. The Seminoles are going to have a ton of work to do to replace Earl Little Jr and Edwin Joseph at safety.
Offensive Grade: B
Mike Norvell and his staff made some solid additions on offense, but ideally they would've made less risky additions. Ashton Daniels at quarterback will be the biggest question especially after a season where he didn't play much. This team should have exciting weapons, but the entire season hinges on Daniels which is a big risk.
Defensive Grade: B
The Seminoles made some solid additions on defense, making big steps forward in a few areas while others will be a concern. Pairing Chris Jones and Mikai Gbayor at linebacker gives this team a promising duo in the middle which should help. A ton will be riding on this secondary coming together as losing players like Earl Little Jr and Edwin Joseph is a lot to overcome.
Overall Grade: B-
Overall, the roster got far less volatile, but this team still may not be talented enough as a whole to give Mike Norvell the season he needs. The biggest question will be if the team can gel as we've seen Mike Norvell miss on a ton of transfers leading to this team's massive step back. Arguably the biggest issue with this class may be the fact that Gus Malzahn recruited a bunch of these players with a vision in mind, yet he retired leaving Mike Norvell to piece it all together.