FSU football transfer tracker: ‘Noles gain 2, lose Goldie Lawrence
In a bit of a surprise move Saturday, Florida State freshman wide receiver Goldie Lawrence entered the transfer portal.
The Seminoles, however, did gain a pair of incoming transfers this weekend with the addition of wide receiver Jaen Brown from LSU and cornerback Earl Little Jr. from Alabama.
Brown, a 6-1, 178-pound freshman from Miami Gulliver Prep, saw action in three games this season but did not record any statistics. He will have four years of eligibility remaining.
Little, a 6-foot-1, 186-pound redshirt-freshman, played eight games for the Crimson Tide this season, recording two tackles while playing mostly special teams. He has three years of eligibility remaining. He redshirted in 2022.
The 6-foot, 193-pound Lawrence, a product of Sanford Seminole High, did not see any action this past season, so he still has four seasons of eligibility remaining. Lawrence originally committed to Florida during his junior year in high school, but then he flipped his choice to FSU after the firing of Dan Mullen with one game remaining in the 2021 season.
Lawrence, who had even considered UCF to be a frontrunner at one point during his recruiting process, had an impressive career at Seminole High. Over his final two seasons, he had 1,022 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns.
He announced his decision via his Instagram account @1k_.goldie:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1wzUt7rR-7/
Lawrence is the 17th Seminole to enter the transfer portal, with the biggest name being quarterback Tate Rodemaker,
And there is still no sign of defensive end Patrick Payton entering the portal, which makes it appear as if he was merely exercising a bluff in order to gain more NIL flexibility. The ‘Noles, however, are reportedly not budging on the number already agreed upon with Payton.
INCOMING
CB Earl Little Jr.
Vitals: RS-Freshman, 6-1, 186
Resume: Little was a 4-star prospect coming out of Plantation American Heritage High. Played in All-American Bowl in 2022. At Alabama, he played eight games this season, mostly on special teams.
Role: With the ‘Noles losing both cornerback Renardo Green and nickel back Jarrian Jones to exhausted eligibility, Little will be looked to immediately help in the defensive backfield.
Outlook: The addition of Little will help add experience to the cornerbacks room, and he should contribute right away.
WR Jalen Brown
Vitals: Freshman, 6-1, 178
Resume: Brown signed with LSU out of Miami Gulliver Prep High, where he was a 4-star prospect. He played in three games this past season at LSU and will come in as a redshirt-freshman for the 2024 season.
Role: What Brown’s role will be at FSU is to be seen. He was a highly regarded prospect out of high school but did not see much action as a freshman at LSU.
Outlook: With the wide receiver room at FSU depleted with the departures of Keon Coleman, Johnny WIlson, Lawrence and Winston Wright, Brown should have an immediate impact with FSU. The only returning starter is slot receiver Ja’Khi Douglas.
QB DJ Uiagalelei
Vitals: Junior, 6-4, 252
Resume: After playing a season as the starting quarterback at Clemson, Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State last season. He passed for 2,638 yards, but only completed 57 percent of his passes (180-of-315). He threw for 21 touchdowns and rushed for 219 yards on 68 carries, scoring six touchdowns.
Role: He will likely be the starting quarterback and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Outlook: The Seminoles were down to freshman Brock Glenn and two walk-ons in the quarterback room, so Uiagalelei adds immediate strength to the numbers, as will incoming freshman Luke Kromenhoek.
DE Marvin Jones Jr.
Vitals: Sophomore, 6-5, 250
Resume: A product of Plantation American Heritage, Jones played 13 games at linebacker for Georgia this past season, starting in the SEC Championship game against Alabama. He is the son of former FSU standout Marvin Jones Sr. (1990-92).
Role: Jones will have an immediate impact. He played linebacker at Georgia, but he’s projected as an edge rusher for the ‘Noles and will be the FSU answer to the departure of Jared Verse to the NFL.
Outlook: Jones will have two years remaining and likely the starting right-side defensive end, opposite returning starter Patrick Payton.
OUTGOING
QB Tate Rodemaker
Vitals: RS-Junior, 6-4, 196
Resume: The Valdosta, Ga., product started one game this past season after starting quarterback Jordan Travis was injured. He has transferred to Southern Miss.
Role: He proved to be a capable replacement to Travis, but with FSU decided to hit the transfer portal in search of a bonafide, experienced quarterback, Rodemaker decided to his the road..
Outlook: His departure, along with the of A.J. Duffy left the quarterbacks room quite bare, but with the addition of DJU, the Seminoles should be fine.
QB A.J. Duffy
Vitals: RS-Freshman, 6-2, 217
Resume: He came to FSU out of Rancho Verde High in California by way of IMG Academy in Bradenton. He was a 4-star QB and played in the Under Armour All-American Game.
Role: Duffy never really broke into the QB rotation at FSU, and was even passed on the depth chart by true freshman Brock Glenn. He was listed as the third-string quarterback after Jordan Travis’ injury.
Outlook: The move could provide depth issues for FSU. The Seminoles now have just five players in the quarterback room on the roster.
WR Goldie Lawrence
Vitals: Freshman, 6-0, 193
Resume: Came out of Sanford Seminole High as a coveted receiver who had plenty of flash and a huge amoutn of potential.
Role: Lawrence never saw the field during his freshman season and will have four years of eligibility remaining.
Outlook: With the addition of Jalen Brown from LSU, a depleted wide receivers room is looking better, but the departures of four receivers from the room, leaves big question marks for 2024.
LB DJ Lundy
Vitals: RS-Junior, 6-1, 244
Resume: Was a 3-star prospect out of Georgia’s Irwin County High.
Role: Lundy was a part-time starter, rotating at times with Kalen DeLoach, but was mostly DeLoach’s backup. He ended the season with 54 tackles, six tackles for loss, 2 sacks and an interception.
Outlook: He is the second FSU linebacker to enter the portal, joining Dylan Brown-Turner. FSU had two linebackers sign out of high school last week, but the position will be lacking with the depatures of Tatum Bethune and DeLoach, both of whom are out of eligibility. The ‘Noles will need to hit the portal for some linebacker help.
WR Winston Wright
Vitals: RS-Senior, 5-10, 183
Resume: Was a 3-star receiver out of Savannah (Ga.) Memorial Day High, where he had nearly 3,000 all-purpose yards during his career.
Role: Transferred to FSU after two solid seasons at West Virginia, but he was injured during the preseason and never saw the field at FSU.
Outlook: This move will have no impact on the Seminoles. Wright left the team earlier this season and has not been in the picture for a while.
TE Markeston Douglas
Vitals: RS Junior, 6-4, 285
Resume: Was a 3-star prospect out of Haywood High, where he played just one season of high school football. Douglas was a Class AA all-state basketball player for Haywood.
Role: Played in all 13 games as a backup for the Seminoles this season, catching 11 balls for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Outlook: The Seminoles, who make good use of the tight end position, are stacked at this spot. With the ‘Noles expected to return third-leading receiver Jaheim Bell (39 catches, 503 yards, 2 TDs) and fourth-leading receiver Kyle Morlock (19, 255, 0), the window of opportunity was not very wide for Douglas, who will be looking for a larger role elsewhere. Bell and Morlock are redshirt-juniors.
TE Preston Daniel
Vitals: RS Junior, 6-4, 236
Resume: Came out of Memphis (Tenn.) Evangelical Christian High where he was unrated as a prospect.
Role: He played in all 13 games this season, but in a far lesser role than the other three tight ends ahead of him. He caught one pass, although he made it count with a 4-yard touchdown in a victory over Louisville in 2022. Also played a huge role on special teams, and was a terrific blocker as the up-back on punts.
Outlook: As mentioned above, the Seminoles are stacked at tight end, although the departure of Douglas and Daniel does leave depth concerns for FSU, which will need to be answered from the portal or this year’s recruiting class. The Seminoles do have a commitment from Colquitt County (Ga.) High 4-star tight end Landen Thomas (6-4, 235).
RB CJ Campbell
Vitals: RS-Sophomore, 5-9, 196
Resume: An unrated running back out of high school whose only FBS scholarship offer came from FSU. He blew up after a stellar senior season at Bay High in Panama City where he rushed for 1,351 yards in just eight games after moving from Louisiana.
Role: Played sparingly in 2023, but had a big game in the blowout win over Alabama State when he scored on a 70-yard touchdown run. Had seven carries all season for 117 yards.
Outlook: FSU shoud be unfazed with the departure of Campbell. The ‘Noles/ main runners, Trey Benson and Lawrance Toafili are redshirt juniors and are likely to return for their senior seasons. There are six running backs remaining on the roster. They also have two 4-star commitments for the position in the 2024 class in Kameron Davis (5-10, 200) out of Dougherty High in Albany, Ga., and Micahi Danzy (6-1, 175) of FSU School in Tallahassee.
DL Ayobami Tifase
Vitals: RS-Freshman, 6-4, 299
Resume: Came out of Baltimore’s Concordia Prep as a 3-star lineman. Helped team to a Maryland Class B state title in 2021.
Role: He played with the scout team last year as a true freshman, taking his redshirt year. This season he played in three games, mop-up duty against Southern Miss, Syracuse and North Alabama.
Outlook: Tifase never really materialized as an impact player on the FSU defensive line and found himself behind true freshman KJ Sampson on the depth chart. This should have little impact for the ‘Noles.
LB Dylan Brown-Turner
Vitals: Freshman, 6-1, 181
Resume: Was a 3-star prospect out of Dallas South Oak Cliff High. Helped lead squad to back to back Class 5A-2 state titles in high school.
Role: He played in one game during his time at FSU, recording one tackle against Southern Miss.
Outlook: Linebacker could be a concern for the Seminoles next season. They have 10 left on the roster for 2024 with Tatum Bethune and Kalen DeLoach out of eligibility. The ‘Noles do have two 3-star commitments for the position in Jayden Parrish (6-1, 210) of Delray Beach Atlantic and Timir Hickman-Collins (6-1, 218) from Indian Land in Fort Mill, S.C.
OL Bless Harris
Vitals: RS-Senior, 6-5, 326
Resume: Came to FSU as an unranked player our of New Orleans St. Augustine High, where he was first team all-district and all-metro.
Role: He started one game last season, but was injured and missed the rest of the season. Harris never really got to reach his potential due to injuries. He will have one remaining year of eligibility, as the NCAA has granted him a hardship year.
Outlook: Since Harris was never really able to make his mark at FSU, the impact of the ‘Noles losing him to the portal is unknown. He played backup to both tackle sports on offense this season, but he would have still been stuck behind returning starters Robert Scott Jr., and Jeremiah Byers.
OL Qae’shon Sapp
Vitals: RS-Freshman, 6-4, 325
Resume: Was a 3-star talent at Lee County, Ga., high school. He helped his team to a Georgia state championship during his junior season.
Role: Sapp never appeared on the Seminoles depth chart in 2023. He has three years of eligibility left.
Outlook: His lack of playing time will have little impact for FSU moving forward.
OL Daughtry Richardson
Vitals: RS-Freshman, 6-5, 315
Resume: A 3-star prospect out of Miami Central, Daughtry helped Central to the Class 5A Florida state title in 2021.
Role: Played in just three games in two seasons at FSU, one of them a redshirt season as a freshman.
Outlook: Seminoles could have been looking at Daughtry to step up next season, but he’s decided to try his fate elsewhere.
OL Thomas Shrader
Vitals: RS-Junior, 6-5, 295
Resume: Came out of Venice High where he was a 3-star tackle and helped Venice to several state playoff runs, including a state championship during his sophomore season.
Role: Injuries have plagued him, but he did see action in nine games this season as the Seminoles completed a 13-0 regular season and ACC Championship.
Outlook: The Seminoles are two-deep on the interior offensive line, so Shrader would’ve once again competed for playing time behind at least three other players. He’ll be looking to make more of an impact at another program. He is the second offensive lineman to enter the portal, so the Seminoles will definitely be looking to add depth, but they do have five offensive linemen committed out of the high school ranks, including Oviedo tackle Tye Hylton (6-4, 270).
DL Malcolm Ray
Vitals: RS-Junior, 6-2, 292
Resume: Came to Tallahassee out of Miami’s Carol City High where he was all-state as a junior and helped Carol City to the Class 6A state title. He was a 3-star prospect.
Role: He was a rotational defensive tackle this season, but had a far more productive year in 2022 with five starts. He’s had 41 tackles over three seasons. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Outlook: Ray’s departure will subtract from the body count on the depth chart, but Ray had fallen a bit. He was the third-string nose tackle at the end of the regular season and sophomore Josh Farmer had passed him in the rotation. The ‘Noles will likely look to the portal for some D-line help, but they do also have touted Washington, D.C., Gonzaga commit DD Holmes (6-6, 250) coming in, as well as Miami Booker T. Washington recruit Jamorie Flagg (6-3, 300).
K Tyler Keltner
Vitals: R-Senior, 5-11, 188
Resume: Tallahassee Lawton Chiles product who signed with East Tennessee State, where he was a two-time All-Southern Conference kicker.
Role: He transferred to FSU to battle Ryan Fitzgerald for the place-kicking job, and lost. He has one more yer of eligibility and will be looking for an opportunity. Fitzgerald remains on the roster and is a redshirt-junior.
Outlook: Keltner never really had an outlook at FSU once he lost the kicking duties to Fitzgerald. The ‘Noles will need a back-up kicker, but it’s not likely a top priority right now.
