Florida State’s defense is looking for a spark off the edge this season-and Rylan Kennedy is raising his hand for the job.
The former Texas A&M pass rusher was one of FSU’s more notable additions from the transfer portal this offseason. After three seasons in College Station, Kennedy arrives in Tallahassee with 34 tackles and 3.5 sacks over the past two years.
Solid numbers, sure-but the expectation is that Kennedy’s best football is still ahead of him. And if things go according to plan, he could follow a path similar to what Jermaine Johnson blazed in 2021 when he transferred in from Georgia and became a game-changer off the edge.
That’s the kind of impact Florida State is hoping for.
Last year, the Seminoles tried a similar approach with James Williams, a Nebraska transfer who had flashed potential in Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme. But the fit didn’t quite translate in Tallahassee, and Williams ended up transferring again-this time to Oklahoma State. That’s the risk with portal additions: the upside is real, but so is the volatility.
Kennedy, though, brings a different level of intrigue. He’s not just looking to be a situational pass rusher-he wants to be a do-it-all defender.
“When I say [versatility], you could see me... I might mess around and be guarding a receiver or coming off the edge or in a three-point stance or in a linebacker stance,” Kennedy said during his first media session with Florida State reporters on Wednesday.
That kind of flexibility is exactly what modern defenses crave. Kennedy isn’t just trying to fill a role-he’s aiming to be the kind of chess piece that defensive coordinators can move around the board depending on the matchup. And with a new position coach in Nick Williams, there’s reason to believe that Kennedy’s development could take a significant step forward.
“He was an edge rusher himself back in college, so he knows what to do. All the tools and keys,” Kennedy said of Williams. “I put my trust into him and I feel comfortable being with him, trusting the process and being at Florida State.”
That trust could go a long way. Kennedy is still raw in some areas-he didn’t fully commit to football until his senior year of high school, having previously focused on basketball and track.
But that late start also means he’s still scratching the surface of his potential. The athleticism is there.
The frame is there. Now, it’s about refining the technique and instincts to match.
Kennedy’s enthusiasm is hard to miss. He came across as genuinely grateful for the opportunity, excited to be part of the program, and ready to embrace the challenge. That kind of mindset matters-especially for a defense that’s reloading in key spots and looking for new leaders to emerge.
Florida State doesn’t need Kennedy to be a finished product on Day 1. But if he can tap into that upside and grow into a consistent, disruptive presence on the edge, he could become one of the most important pieces of the Seminoles’ defense this fall.
The tools are there. Now it’s time to see how he puts them to work.