FSU football transfer portal: Best pickups, who has questions to answer?

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The transfer portal window has closed, and barring any late additions from the remaining players in the portal, Florida State football’s transfer class is complete.

FSU brought in 22 transfers and holds a commitment from JUCO quarterback Malachi Marshall. The transfer class is currently ranked 24th by 247Sports and the fourth-ranked class in the ACC.

The class features a few standout players and plenty of rotational pieces. The Seminoles took three quarterbacks, with Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels expected to be named the starter. FSU prioritized support on defense, with linebacker Chris Jones one of the standout additions.

With that said, let’s evaluate FSU’s best pickups and the transfers that have some questions around them:

FSU football’s top transfer additions

Linebacker was a position of need for the Seminoles, and they landed three, though JUCO transfer Chris Thomas will miss the year with an injury. Both Jones and North Carolina transfer Mikai Gbayor bring in experience and production to FSU’s linebacker room.

Jones led the Sun Belt in tackles and was an All-Sun Belt first-team defender last season for Southern Miss, posting 133 tackles as a sophomore. He will play a key role in Tony White’s defense, with the 3-3-5 requiring versatility from linebackers.

He has room to improve in coverage, but as an open field tackler, Jones will address a major need for the program. When it comes to experience, Gbayor brings in two years of knowledge in White’s 3-3-5, playing under him at Nebraska. Gbayor spent four seasons with the Cornhuskers, but didn’t appear in his first two years, and he posted 73 tackles, including nine for a loss, in the two years he played at Nebraska.

One caveat with Gbayor is that he will likely need a waiver for an extra year of eligibility, so the Seminoles have added an element of risk to his transfer.

On the other side of the ball, arguably FSU’s biggest pickup was Texas transfer running back Quintrevion Wisner. He posted 1,734 yards and nine touchdowns in three years with the Longhorns, and he had a breakout year in 2024 with 1,064 yards and five touchdowns. With a crowded running back room fully healthy after an injury-riddled 2024, Wisner’s role took a slight hit in 2025, but he still posted 597 yards and three touchdowns.

Wisner is likely to be a marquee back alongside promising tailback Ousmane Kromah.

Alongside the aforementioned players, pickups like Auburn offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin, Texas State defensive lineman Jordan Saunders and Purdue offensive lineman Bradyn Joiner are all net positives.

FSU transfer pickups that I have some questions about

There was no denying the Seminoles needed to add depth to the quarterback room, and they did by adding three. However, the program went into the portal looking for a bona fide starter.

While they had quarterbacks like Anthony Colandrea and DJ Lagway on campus, they settled with Daniels, who was primarily a backup for Auburn last season and had an up-and-down two years at Stanford. He started three of the last four games for the Tigers, and went 68-for-119 passing with 797 yards and three passing touchdowns while adding 280 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his four appearances.

His tools fit what Gus Malzahn wants out of a quarterback in his offense, but the tape and production for Daniels is filled with inconsistency. When he’s able to put it all together, you get games like the one against Vanderbilt last season, where he passed for 353 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 89 yards and two scores. However, his 22 interceptions to 24 career touchdowns and 16 career fumbles present some concern.

How clean he is with the football is one of the biggest questions to answer.

Alongside Daniels, the signing of FAU transfer running back Gemari Sands raises a question, not necessarily on talent or production, but more with fit and need. With Wisner and a core of returning running backs, adding Sands to an already deep running back room is a bit of a question mark.

Sands does have two years of eligibility left, so a long-term future with the Seminoles could be on the cards. He posted 465 yards and no scores last year with the Owls, and his role in a crowded running back room is a question that will have to be answered in spring and fall camp.

FSU likely needed one running back in the portal, but it wasn’t a necessity. Bringing in a pair of them may make for some congestion issues, similar to last season.

The current ceiling of the transfer portal class is hard to evaluate, but the Seminoles are going to need returning players and incoming freshmen to play a big part if the team wants relative success in 2026. It cannot rely solely on the portal class.

FSU football transfer portal commitments

• Malachi Marshall, QB, Iowa Western Community College – 3-star
• Jordan Sanders, DL, Texas State – 3-star
• Conor McAneney, K, – unranked
• Dean DeNobile, QB, Lafayette – 3-star
• Gabe Panikowski, K, Oklahoma State – unranked
• Gemari Sands, RB, FAU – 3-star
• Chris Jones, LB, Southern Miss – 4-star – committed Jan. 15
• Mikai Gbayor, LB, North Carolina – 4-star – committed Jan. 15
• Ma’Khi Jones, S, Duke – committed Jan. 13
• CJ Richards, S, Illinois State – committed Jan. 10
• Chris Thomas, LB, Northwest Mississippi Community College, 3-star
• Chimdia Nwaiwu, OL, Stephen F. – 3-star Austin – Jan. 10
• Karson Hobbs, CB, Notre Dame – 3-star committed Jan. 9
• Xavier Chaplin, OT, Auburn – 4-star committed Jan. 9
• Daniel Hughes, P, New Mexico – committed Jan. 8
• Paul Bowling, OL, Troy- 3-star – committed Jan. 7
• Desirrio Riles, TE, ECU – 3 star – committed Jan. 6
• Nate Pabts, OL, – 3 star – committed Jan. 6
• Bradyn Joiner, center, – currently unranked – committed Jan. 6
• Ashton Daniels, quarterback – 3 star – committed Jan. 6
• Caleb Bowers, long snapper – 3 star – committed Jan. 5
• Tre Wisner, RB, Texas – 4 star- committed Jan. 5
• Nehemiah Chandler, DB, South Alabama – 3 star- committed Jan. 3

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Which FSU football transfer portal pickups have questions to answer?

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