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From our Florida State site here at Rivals.com:
Once again, Mike Norvell and the Florida State coaching staff have aced the transfer portal.
The Seminoles have addressed just about all of their needs and bolstered the roster in a major way this offseason with 14 transfer additions in a class of additions that ranks eighth in Rivals' 2024 transfer class rankings.
While that's not an overwhelmingly strong ranking, six of the seven teams ahead of FSU are bringing in six-plus more transfers than the Seminoles. FSU's average transfer addition star rating of 3.29 is the third best in the Rivals top 10 behind only Ole Miss and Oregon.
The Seminoles added four transfers in the top 62 of Rivals' 2024 class rankings and eight transfer additions in the top 162 of the rankings.
Before we interview these new additions in the coming weeks and see them on the field this spring, I'm taking a look inside the numbers at how these new Seminoles fared at their previous schools.
After looking at the offensive transfer additions Monday, now the attention turns to the defensive side of the ball. FSU has put a lot of effort into rebuilding its defensive line through the portal and also added a few pieces at linebacker and in the secondary with so many key members of FSU's 2023 defense off to the NFL.
Career stats: 16 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble in 25 games over two seasons
2023 PFF grade: 59.9
2023 snap count: 236 on defense, 118 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 2 (Still eligible for redshirt as well)
Analysis: An FSU legacy who chose Georgia over the Seminoles as a coveted high-school recruit, Jones was impactful as a rotational player in the Bulldogs' defense but didn't exactly thrive in Athens.
However, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end's role did grow as his sophomore 2023 season progressed. After playing 20-plus snaps just once in UGA's first nine games of the season, he played 23-plus snaps in each of the last four games he was with the program for and over 30 snaps in the win over Georgia Tech and the loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
Jones' 2023 season graded out remarkably consistently according to PFF. He graded out between 57.2 and 63.0 in run defense, tackling, pass rushing and coverage this past season.
Three of his five pressures came in the final three games he played (one in each game) and he had no missed tackles over his final six games after he had three over the first six games of the season.
Career stats: Appeared in 40 games (22 starts) over four seasons. Recorded 88 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 13 QB hurries, 4 forced fumbles.
2023 PFF grade: 69.0
2023 snap count: 563 on defense, 54 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 1
Analysis: When seeing that Sione Lolohea had just 1.5 sacks in extensive playing time this past season at Oregon State, one might assume he is not an especially impactful pass rusher. His PFF stats tell a different story.
His 33 pass-rush pressures in 2023 were second most on the OSU defense and ranked him in the top 100 nationally among FBS edge-rushers. He received a 62.5 pass-rush grade from PFF.
It's Lolohea's run-stopping ability, though, that really stands out in the numbers. He also ranked second on the Beavers' defense with 24 defensive stops last season according to PFF and had a 75.1 run defense grade.
One area where clear improvement is needed is in Lolohea's tackling. PFF credited him with 19 missed tackles on 63 tackle attempts this past season, a 29.3 tackling grade. However, he was credited with just five missed tackles on a marginally smaller number of snaps during the 2022 season.
As such, it's fair to wonder if there's something that was wrong that could be fixable this offseason to help Lolohea find his better 2023 form in this facet.
Career stats: Appeared in 16 total games the last two seasons at West Virginia and Kentucky (13 at WVU in 2023, 3 at UK in 2022). Recorded no stats at Kentucky
2023 PFF grade: 64.7
2023 snap count: 270 on defense, 26 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 3
Analysis: Tomiwa Durojaiye is among the younger transfer additions for FSU on the defensive side of the ball, two years into his collegiate career. Despite that, he arrives in Tallahassee fresh off a balanced breakout season at West Virginia, one in which he demonstrated a well-rounded game that should immediately translate at FSU.
In his lone season at WVU, PFF graded him out at or above 70 in both run defense (71.7) and tackling (70.0). He ranked sixth on the Mountaineers' roster in both total pressures (14) and defensive stops (16) and all five players above him in each category played 150-plus more snaps than he did in 2023.
While 1.5 of his 3.5 sacks this past season came against FCS opponent Duquesne, he was plenty impactful in WVU's more prominent games as well. He had four pressures and four defensive stops on 28 reps vs. TCU and had four more pressures on a career-high 45 snaps in the team's bowl-game victory over North Carolina.
Additionally, Durojaiye, measuring in at 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, could have the potential to play both at defensive end and inside at defensive tackle in certain situations. That could theoretically help improve his value as a transfer addition, although FSU's defensive tackle depth is currently looking a bit better than it was a few weeks ago.
Career stats: Appeared in 26 games (22 starts) over three seasons at Colorado State. Recorded 79 career tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 2 QB hurries, 1 blocked kick
2023 PFF grade: 72.2
2023 snap count: 536 on defense, 53 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 2
Analysis: Grady Kelly, who originally hails from Navarre, is headed back to his home state as a transfer to FSU after two heavy-use and very productive seasons at Colorado State.
Kelly played a combined 1,029 snaps on defense over the last two seasons for the Rams. And he was quite consistent over that span, earning a Freshman All-American honor from College Football News for the 2023 season (69.9 PFF grade) and then putting up a 72.2 PFF grade in an even larger role this past season.
There's not an obvious weak point in Kelly's game as he settles in at FSU. He had a 69.2 grade from PFF this past season in both run defense and pass rush. He had an even better 81.9 tackling grade, with just one missed tackle in 2023. His 2.3% missed tackle rate was 12th nationally among defensive tackles who played over 50% of their defense's snaps this past season.
In 2023, Kelly had 18 total pressures and 24 defensive stops, both fourth-most on the CSU defense.
Career stats: Appeared in 18 games over two seasons at Alabama. Recorded 5 tackles, 1 pass breakup
2023 PFF grade: 85.3
2023 snap count: 18 on defense, 94 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 3
Analysis: Shawn Murphy is another transfer who arrives at FSU with extremely limited previous playing time at the collegiate level. However, he's only two years removed from being the No. 49 overall recruit and No. 2 linebacker in the 2022 recruiting class according to Rivals.
While Murphy didn't play much this past season, PFF very favorably graded the minimal reps he did get. In late-game mop-up duty in Alabama's wins over Middle Tennessee State and Chattanooga, he graded out at 72.9 and 88.4, respectively. Although that should be taken with a grain of salt considering the opponents, it's encouraging that he made the most of that opportunity, recording two defensive stops on six plays vs. Chattanooga.
This 2023 showing was a major step up from his 47.6 PFF grade as a true freshman in 2022 on a similarly small rep count.
That potential paired with FSU's need for more linebackers after the departures of Tatum Bethune and Kalen DeLoach made for Murphy being an ideal linebacker to take a flyer on despite his relative inexperience at this level.
Career stats: Appeared in 11 games over two seasons at Alabama. Recorded two tackles
2023 PFF grade: 40.9
2023 snap count: 20 plays on defense, 40 plays on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 3
Analysis: Things never came together for NFL legacy Earl Little Jr. at Alabama. The former four-star prospect battled injuries throughout his two-year tenure and never was on the field at practice enough to begin to realize the potential that led Rivals to ranking him as the No. 83 overall prospect and No. 9 defensive back in the 2022 recruiting class.
His transfer to FSU gives him a fresh start at another school he considered heavily during his initial recruiting process. Little's 2023 PFF grade may as well be thrown out. 20 of the 21 plays came from Alabama's season opener and he didn't play on defense in any of Alabama's final 11 games, missing the end of the season due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
As such, there's not much to take away from Little's stats, PFF grades or film from his time in Tuscaloosa. But he remains exceedingly talented and should be an instant answer at safety for the Seminoles.
FSU has been quite a haven for transfers making the most of second opportunities over the last few seasons. Little seems like a prime candidate to be the next to follow this example.
Career stats: Appeared in 47 games (31 starts) over four seasons at UCF (2020 through 2022) and Miami (2023). 101 tackles, 3 interceptions, 19 pass breakups, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
2023 PFF grade: 57.5
2023 snap count: 180 on defense, 112 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 1
Analysis: After Davonte Brown chose Miami over FSU as a transfer cornerback last offseason, his 2023 season didn't go according to plan. He appeared in 11 games, but did so in a reserve role and wasn't particularly effective, posting a 53.9 coverage grade with seven catches allowed for 54 yards on 13 targets.
FSU's flyer, though, was taken because of the type of success Brown has previously had in college football at UCF. His redshirt freshman season in 2021, Brown played a whopping 763 defensive snaps and graded out at 82.3, the No. 24 FBS cornerback that season.
That season's success was buoyed by a pair of interceptions and an 84.0 coverage grade (No. 21 nationally among CBs) but he also had a 69.5 run defense grade with 11 defensive stops.
It remains to be seen what position FSU will use Brown, either his familiar cornerback spot as some depth or perhaps trying him out at safety where FSU is in need of more contributors. Wherever he winds up, it's worth taking the chance on him in the hopes he can take a step back towards his 2021 form in Tallahassee.
From our Florida State site here at Rivals.com:
Inside the numbers of Florida State football's defensive transfer additions
By: Curt Weller - The OsceolaOnce again, Mike Norvell and the Florida State coaching staff have aced the transfer portal.
The Seminoles have addressed just about all of their needs and bolstered the roster in a major way this offseason with 14 transfer additions in a class of additions that ranks eighth in Rivals' 2024 transfer class rankings.
While that's not an overwhelmingly strong ranking, six of the seven teams ahead of FSU are bringing in six-plus more transfers than the Seminoles. FSU's average transfer addition star rating of 3.29 is the third best in the Rivals top 10 behind only Ole Miss and Oregon.
The Seminoles added four transfers in the top 62 of Rivals' 2024 class rankings and eight transfer additions in the top 162 of the rankings.
Before we interview these new additions in the coming weeks and see them on the field this spring, I'm taking a look inside the numbers at how these new Seminoles fared at their previous schools.
After looking at the offensive transfer additions Monday, now the attention turns to the defensive side of the ball. FSU has put a lot of effort into rebuilding its defensive line through the portal and also added a few pieces at linebacker and in the secondary with so many key members of FSU's 2023 defense off to the NFL.
DE Marvin Jones Jr. (Georgia transfer)
2023 stats: 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hurry, 1 forced fumble in 12 gamesCareer stats: 16 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble in 25 games over two seasons
2023 PFF grade: 59.9
2023 snap count: 236 on defense, 118 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 2 (Still eligible for redshirt as well)
Analysis: An FSU legacy who chose Georgia over the Seminoles as a coveted high-school recruit, Jones was impactful as a rotational player in the Bulldogs' defense but didn't exactly thrive in Athens.
However, the 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end's role did grow as his sophomore 2023 season progressed. After playing 20-plus snaps just once in UGA's first nine games of the season, he played 23-plus snaps in each of the last four games he was with the program for and over 30 snaps in the win over Georgia Tech and the loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
Jones' 2023 season graded out remarkably consistently according to PFF. He graded out between 57.2 and 63.0 in run defense, tackling, pass rushing and coverage this past season.
Three of his five pressures came in the final three games he played (one in each game) and he had no missed tackles over his final six games after he had three over the first six games of the season.
DE Sione Lolohea (Oregon State transfer)
2023 stats: 47 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 7 QB hurries, 2 forced fumblesCareer stats: Appeared in 40 games (22 starts) over four seasons. Recorded 88 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 13 QB hurries, 4 forced fumbles.
2023 PFF grade: 69.0
2023 snap count: 563 on defense, 54 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 1
Analysis: When seeing that Sione Lolohea had just 1.5 sacks in extensive playing time this past season at Oregon State, one might assume he is not an especially impactful pass rusher. His PFF stats tell a different story.
His 33 pass-rush pressures in 2023 were second most on the OSU defense and ranked him in the top 100 nationally among FBS edge-rushers. He received a 62.5 pass-rush grade from PFF.
It's Lolohea's run-stopping ability, though, that really stands out in the numbers. He also ranked second on the Beavers' defense with 24 defensive stops last season according to PFF and had a 75.1 run defense grade.
One area where clear improvement is needed is in Lolohea's tackling. PFF credited him with 19 missed tackles on 63 tackle attempts this past season, a 29.3 tackling grade. However, he was credited with just five missed tackles on a marginally smaller number of snaps during the 2022 season.
As such, it's fair to wonder if there's something that was wrong that could be fixable this offseason to help Lolohea find his better 2023 form in this facet.
DE Tomiwa Durojaiye (West Virginia transfer)
2023 stats: 23 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 QB hurryCareer stats: Appeared in 16 total games the last two seasons at West Virginia and Kentucky (13 at WVU in 2023, 3 at UK in 2022). Recorded no stats at Kentucky
2023 PFF grade: 64.7
2023 snap count: 270 on defense, 26 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 3
Analysis: Tomiwa Durojaiye is among the younger transfer additions for FSU on the defensive side of the ball, two years into his collegiate career. Despite that, he arrives in Tallahassee fresh off a balanced breakout season at West Virginia, one in which he demonstrated a well-rounded game that should immediately translate at FSU.
In his lone season at WVU, PFF graded him out at or above 70 in both run defense (71.7) and tackling (70.0). He ranked sixth on the Mountaineers' roster in both total pressures (14) and defensive stops (16) and all five players above him in each category played 150-plus more snaps than he did in 2023.
While 1.5 of his 3.5 sacks this past season came against FCS opponent Duquesne, he was plenty impactful in WVU's more prominent games as well. He had four pressures and four defensive stops on 28 reps vs. TCU and had four more pressures on a career-high 45 snaps in the team's bowl-game victory over North Carolina.
Additionally, Durojaiye, measuring in at 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, could have the potential to play both at defensive end and inside at defensive tackle in certain situations. That could theoretically help improve his value as a transfer addition, although FSU's defensive tackle depth is currently looking a bit better than it was a few weeks ago.
DT Grady Kelly (Colorado State transfer)
2023 stats: 35 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 blocked kickCareer stats: Appeared in 26 games (22 starts) over three seasons at Colorado State. Recorded 79 career tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 2 QB hurries, 1 blocked kick
2023 PFF grade: 72.2
2023 snap count: 536 on defense, 53 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 2
Analysis: Grady Kelly, who originally hails from Navarre, is headed back to his home state as a transfer to FSU after two heavy-use and very productive seasons at Colorado State.
Kelly played a combined 1,029 snaps on defense over the last two seasons for the Rams. And he was quite consistent over that span, earning a Freshman All-American honor from College Football News for the 2023 season (69.9 PFF grade) and then putting up a 72.2 PFF grade in an even larger role this past season.
There's not an obvious weak point in Kelly's game as he settles in at FSU. He had a 69.2 grade from PFF this past season in both run defense and pass rush. He had an even better 81.9 tackling grade, with just one missed tackle in 2023. His 2.3% missed tackle rate was 12th nationally among defensive tackles who played over 50% of their defense's snaps this past season.
In 2023, Kelly had 18 total pressures and 24 defensive stops, both fourth-most on the CSU defense.
LB Shawn Murphy (Alabama transfer)
2023 stats: 3 tacklesCareer stats: Appeared in 18 games over two seasons at Alabama. Recorded 5 tackles, 1 pass breakup
2023 PFF grade: 85.3
2023 snap count: 18 on defense, 94 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 3
Analysis: Shawn Murphy is another transfer who arrives at FSU with extremely limited previous playing time at the collegiate level. However, he's only two years removed from being the No. 49 overall recruit and No. 2 linebacker in the 2022 recruiting class according to Rivals.
While Murphy didn't play much this past season, PFF very favorably graded the minimal reps he did get. In late-game mop-up duty in Alabama's wins over Middle Tennessee State and Chattanooga, he graded out at 72.9 and 88.4, respectively. Although that should be taken with a grain of salt considering the opponents, it's encouraging that he made the most of that opportunity, recording two defensive stops on six plays vs. Chattanooga.
This 2023 showing was a major step up from his 47.6 PFF grade as a true freshman in 2022 on a similarly small rep count.
That potential paired with FSU's need for more linebackers after the departures of Tatum Bethune and Kalen DeLoach made for Murphy being an ideal linebacker to take a flyer on despite his relative inexperience at this level.
DB Earl Little Jr. (Alabama transfer)
2023 stats: 2 tacklesCareer stats: Appeared in 11 games over two seasons at Alabama. Recorded two tackles
2023 PFF grade: 40.9
2023 snap count: 20 plays on defense, 40 plays on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 3
Analysis: Things never came together for NFL legacy Earl Little Jr. at Alabama. The former four-star prospect battled injuries throughout his two-year tenure and never was on the field at practice enough to begin to realize the potential that led Rivals to ranking him as the No. 83 overall prospect and No. 9 defensive back in the 2022 recruiting class.
His transfer to FSU gives him a fresh start at another school he considered heavily during his initial recruiting process. Little's 2023 PFF grade may as well be thrown out. 20 of the 21 plays came from Alabama's season opener and he didn't play on defense in any of Alabama's final 11 games, missing the end of the season due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
As such, there's not much to take away from Little's stats, PFF grades or film from his time in Tuscaloosa. But he remains exceedingly talented and should be an instant answer at safety for the Seminoles.
FSU has been quite a haven for transfers making the most of second opportunities over the last few seasons. Little seems like a prime candidate to be the next to follow this example.
DB Davonte Brown (Miami transfer)
2023 stats: 10 tackles, 1 pass breakup, 1 QB hurryCareer stats: Appeared in 47 games (31 starts) over four seasons at UCF (2020 through 2022) and Miami (2023). 101 tackles, 3 interceptions, 19 pass breakups, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
2023 PFF grade: 57.5
2023 snap count: 180 on defense, 112 on special teams
Years of eligibility left: 1
Analysis: After Davonte Brown chose Miami over FSU as a transfer cornerback last offseason, his 2023 season didn't go according to plan. He appeared in 11 games, but did so in a reserve role and wasn't particularly effective, posting a 53.9 coverage grade with seven catches allowed for 54 yards on 13 targets.
FSU's flyer, though, was taken because of the type of success Brown has previously had in college football at UCF. His redshirt freshman season in 2021, Brown played a whopping 763 defensive snaps and graded out at 82.3, the No. 24 FBS cornerback that season.
That season's success was buoyed by a pair of interceptions and an 84.0 coverage grade (No. 21 nationally among CBs) but he also had a 69.5 run defense grade with 11 defensive stops.
It remains to be seen what position FSU will use Brown, either his familiar cornerback spot as some depth or perhaps trying him out at safety where FSU is in need of more contributors. Wherever he winds up, it's worth taking the chance on him in the hopes he can take a step back towards his 2021 form in Tallahassee.
