The Florida State Seminoles are looking to respond after a tumultuous 2-10 season in 2024. They ended the first week of May off right by successfully getting a huge defensive threat from the transfer portal and hiring a new coach from a conference opponent in the same day.
Mike Norvell Secures Transfer, Hires New Coach on Same Day
According to On3 Sports, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell used the transfer portal to acquire USC safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr. Boatwright still has four years of eligibility remaining and looks to boost a struggling defensive secondary.
BREAKING: USC transfer Safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr. has Committed to Florida State, he tells @on3sports
The 6’2 195 S will have 4 years of eligibility remaining https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/naiv6ZlT0i
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 2, 2025
After enrolling at USC but not seeing any game action last season, Boatwright decided to head back home to the state of Florida. The former two-way player out of Clearwater, Florida, had 102 total tackles as a high school senior, which paved the way for him to head out to USC.
But now, with a great recruiting pitch from Norvell, he will be playing on the back-end for the Seminoles this fall.
In addition to the team acquiring Boatwright, Norvell was also able to hire former North Carolina Director of Recruiting Operations Molly Jacoby for the same role. Stealing away a top coordinator like Jacoby, especially from an in-conference rival, is significant. That is especially true with the way NIL and recruiting work nowadays.
Florida State Hopes to Contend in 2025
Through the help of the transfer portal, the Seminoles have made it a point to emphasize their desire to catch fire after a brutal 2024 season. Remember, they nearly went undefeated the year before, which is why the 2-10 season was so stunning.
But now, QB Thomas Castellanos, along with wide receivers Squirrel White and Duce Robinson, is a veteran addition who should greatly help the team on the offensive side of the ball.
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Then, transfer players like Boatwright on defense could give the team a spark.
In a conference with the likes of Clemson and SMU, who both made it to the College Football Playoff last year, along with a 10-win Miami Hurricanes team that acquired veteran quarterback Carson Beck in the transfer portal, Florida State is going to need to be at its best come August.
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