Florida State went into the offseason with one clear mission at linebacker: change the look of the room.
Out went John Papuchis, Elijah Herring, and Stefon Thompson for different reasons. In came Ernie Sims, Chris Jones, and Mikai Gbayor.
After a 2025 season in which opponents repeatedly attacked the group’s lack of athleticism - especially by getting backs involved in the passing game or simply leaning on them in the run game - the Seminoles are banking on a different kind of energy in 2026. A second year in the 3-3-5 could help, too, with the hope that linebacker becomes the strength of FSU’s defense.
That hope starts with junior Chris Jones, the biggest name in the room. Jones arrived in Tallahassee after two strong seasons at Southern Miss and earned First-Team All-Sun Belt honors in 2025 after piling up more than 10 tackles per game.
At 6’1” and 231 pounds, he gives Florida State the kind of size and movement it has been missing, with the ability to work in the box and also hold up in space. The Seminoles are counting on him to keep producing at a higher level and become their best linebacker since the 2023 duo of Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune.
Behind him, there’s a mix of veterans trying to cash in on another chance and younger players trying to force their way onto the field.
Senior Blake Nichelson is still one of the more intriguing names in the group. After everything that has happened in the linebacker room over the past few seasons, he remains on track to spend all four years at Florida State.
Even more notable: it still feels like there’s more in him. Nichelson finished 2025 on a strong note, starting the final six games and posting seven tackles against Clemson.
Now he’ll work under a new voice in Ernie Sims, with the Seminoles hoping that a former consensus four-star recruit can finally be unlocked.
Redshirt senior Omar Graham Jr. is back as well after briefly entering the transfer portal. He’s another player who has been around Tallahassee for his entire college career, and 2026 could bring a bigger role.
Graham played in all 12 games last season but started only five, a step back from 2024. His PFF overall grade climbed from 61.8 to 65, though his tackling grade dropped sharply from 82.2 to 61.
He’ll have a chance to start in multiple spots.
Redshirt junior Caleb LaVallee is one of the more interesting wild cards. The former UNC transfer missed almost all of 2025 with a leg injury, but he returned healthy in the offseason and drew praise during spring, especially in the back half of camp.
Norvell made a point of noting how much athleticism he brought to the room. If things break right, LaVallee could do more than rotate - he could push for a starting job.
Redshirt senior AJ Cottrill also returns after carving out a role last season. A former walk-on, he worked his way into the two-deep and finished 2025 with 15 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and 1.5 sacks. In 2026, he looks more like a reserve and a special teams piece.
The newcomer with the most obvious connection to the staff is Gbayor. Redshirt senior Mikai Gbayor is on his third program in three years after serving as a reserve linebacker at North Carolina in 2025.
Before that, he spent three seasons at Nebraska under Tony White and totaled almost 50 tackles with 11 starts in 2024, White’s final year in Lincoln. Florida State is hoping the reunion with his former defensive coordinator helps him get back to that level.
He missed a good chunk of spring after an injury, but he should be ready for fall camp.
The freshman class brings more upside. Izayia Williams is the highest-rated linebacker signee Florida State has landed since Nichelson, and the path to signing him was anything but simple - his recruitment included six commitments before FSU finally got him.
He tore his ACL during his senior season and missed all of spring, but the traits are obvious: speed, physicality, and even high school experience at running back. Once he’s fully healthy and settled in, he has the tools to become a major part of White’s defense.
Karon Maycock also made noise in the spring. The true freshman drew praise for his playmaking and presence, and while some programs saw him as a safety during recruiting, Florida State brought him in as a linebacker. Early returns suggest that move may pay off quickly, and he has a real shot to crack the rotation in 2026 if his adjustment keeps moving fast.
Noah LaValle, the younger brother of Caleb, also earned some spring attention after making a few plays. He still has work to do before he can break into the two-deep, but the opportunity is there.
Florida State changed the ingredients in this room. Now the question is whether the new mix finally gives the defense the kind of linebacker play it has been missing.
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West has made relationships a major part of his decision-making, which gives Florida State a clear opening if it can keep building trust over time. The challenge is obvious, though: Mike Norvells uncertain tenure and the programs recent struggles to consistently secure top in-state talent hang over this pursuit, and those are the kinds of questions that can linger deep into a quarterback recruitment. [Read more 🡒]