FSU football: Don’t be alarmed by transfer portal entries By Kelvin Hunt

FSU football has seen several players enter the transfer portal since it opened last week. It was no surprise to see many of the names that have entered, but a few players that have seen playing time indicate they plan to enter the portal. That may come as a surprise to some fans.

Fans want to know why some players who were potentially in line for more playing time would enter the transfer portal instead of staying on a team ranked so highly. It comes down to two reasons for the most part:

1. Player likely isn’t going to get any playing time

We’ve seen it already with players that will likely transfer down to a lower level of football. I won’t name names, but they want to play and are probably encouraged to go elsewhere. Think of all the players that left early in Mike Norvell’s tenure and didn’t find homes or went to smaller non-P5 schools.

2. A player realizes they will likely get passed up on the depth chart by a younger player.

We’ve seen a few players fit this mold. Some are talented players who find a role at other P5 programs.

3. Players think their value is higher than it is, and the collective isn’t willing to overpay or reset the market to keep them

FSU hasn’t had to deal with this too much, but a few players have hinted at entering the portal or going to social media to tease their plan too. However, The Battle’s End Collective has an excellent track record of understanding the market and positional values. It’s why they were able to keep so many high-profile players like Jordan Travis, Jared Verse, Trey Benson, Fabien Lovett, Kalen DeLoach, Tatum Bethune, and others.

fan. The FSU coaches and the collective will keep players they believe are impact players, or at least do everything they can to field a competitive NIL offer. However, they will not overpay a player to reset the market and destroy their budget. If a high-profile player enters the portal, understand it’s because he either didn’t want to stay or the coaching staff the collective didn’t think he was valued enough to keep.

I know that sounds cutthroat, but it’s a business, and many players entering the portal don’t have a plan or a strong support system around them. It’s why so many players who enter the portal never find a comparable home to the team they left or a new home at all.