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The Florida State Seminoles have added former Illinois safety and redshirt sophomore CJ Richard Jr to their roster via the transfer portal.
Florida State must rebuild a defense that finished No. 43 in total defense in 2025. Second year defensive coordinator Tony White has already lost his starting safeties (Earl Little Jr/Ohio State and Edwin Joseph/Ole Miss) to the transfer portal, while Sharmar Arnoux, a talented freshman from last season, bolted to Auburn.
Head coach Mike Norvell is looking for talented and experienced players to help him build a roster that can get Florida State back to their winning ways. Norvell has only won seven games in the last two seasons, including a five win season in 2025.
Richard Jr redshirted his first year at Illinois state and saw zero game action. The 6-foot-1 190lbs Richard Jr has three years of eligibility remaining.
Richard Jr bursted onto the scene in 2025, his only season actually getting playing time for the Red Birds. He totaled 36 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions. In the first game of the season Richard Jr posted four tackles against Oklahoma.
PFF gave Richard Jr an overall grade of 79.7 for the season, and a grade of 69.6 for his effort against Oklahoma. He was named Freshman All-American in 2025 and was a key contributor to defense that went to the FCS championship game. He had back-to-back interceptions in the playoffs against Villanova and UC Davis.
Florida State brought in a total of 24 players from the transfer portal this season, including eight on defense. The other defensive players from the portal that coach White will rely on to get this defense on track are: Mikai Gbayor LB/North Carolina, Jordan Sander DL/Texas State, Karson Hobbs CB/Norte Dame, Chris Jones LB/Southern Miss, Rylan Kennedy EDGE/Texas A&M, and Nehemiah Chandler CB/South Alabama.
Richard Jr is a native of Houston Texas and played his high school ball at J.Frank Dobie high school. Coming out of high school Illinois State was the only scholarship offer he had.
When Florida State goes to training camp on July 30 Richard Jr should be one of the players in the mix with the first team. His ball hawking skills and willingness to tackle make him a strong candidate to be a starter for White's defense.
Florida State opens the season on August 29 at home against New Mexico State.
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Florida State must rebuild a defense that finished No. 43 in total defense in 2025. Second year defensive coordinator Tony White has already lost his starting safeties (Earl Little Jr/Ohio State and Edwin Joseph/Ole Miss) to the transfer portal, while Sharmar Arnoux, a talented freshman from last season, bolted to Auburn.
Head coach Mike Norvell is looking for talented and experienced players to help him build a roster that can get Florida State back to their winning ways. Norvell has only won seven games in the last two seasons, including a five win season in 2025.
Richard Jr redshirted his first year at Illinois state and saw zero game action. The 6-foot-1 190lbs Richard Jr has three years of eligibility remaining.
Richard Jr bursted onto the scene in 2025, his only season actually getting playing time for the Red Birds. He totaled 36 tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss. He also had two interceptions. In the first game of the season Richard Jr posted four tackles against Oklahoma.
PFF gave Richard Jr an overall grade of 79.7 for the season, and a grade of 69.6 for his effort against Oklahoma. He was named Freshman All-American in 2025 and was a key contributor to defense that went to the FCS championship game. He had back-to-back interceptions in the playoffs against Villanova and UC Davis.
Florida State brought in a total of 24 players from the transfer portal this season, including eight on defense. The other defensive players from the portal that coach White will rely on to get this defense on track are: Mikai Gbayor LB/North Carolina, Jordan Sander DL/Texas State, Karson Hobbs CB/Norte Dame, Chris Jones LB/Southern Miss, Rylan Kennedy EDGE/Texas A&M, and Nehemiah Chandler CB/South Alabama.
Richard Jr is a native of Houston Texas and played his high school ball at J.Frank Dobie high school. Coming out of high school Illinois State was the only scholarship offer he had.
When Florida State goes to training camp on July 30 Richard Jr should be one of the players in the mix with the first team. His ball hawking skills and willingness to tackle make him a strong candidate to be a starter for White's defense.
Florida State opens the season on August 29 at home against New Mexico State.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!
Continue reading...
