Florida State is having to replace two talented veteran linebackers in Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune, who navigated over to the NFL.
They were the Seminoles’ top two tacklers from a season ago and were pivotal to what Florida State did defensively. Linebackers coach Randy Shannon has a long history of developing players at the position. However, there are not many players on the roster that had experience besides DJ Lundy.
As a result, Florida State added former redshirt senior Auburn linebacker Cam Riley via the transfer portal. During his four seasons with the Tigers, he recorded 120 total tackles (7.5 for loss) and two sacks.
Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell spoke to the media after Tuesday’s practice where he raved about Riley and stated that he was very, very excited about him from what he has show in his first six days of transition.
Riley originally committed to North Carolina State before backing off his pledge and re-committing to Florida State. This was massive for the Seminoles as they needed to have more veteran options in the position room. While it is difficult to expect summer enrollees to contribute right away, Riley has been in college football for a long time and should be acclimated to what is being asked of him.
He is in position to be a starting linebacker this season if he continues to grow within his development and understanding of defensive coordinator Adam Fuller’s defense.
At the very least, I expect him to be a leader in the room to help bring along other talented options such as Justin Cryer and Blake Nichelson. Overall, I think he is just scratching the surface of what he can bring to the table as a linebacker in this defense and I am so excited for Riley to show off his skills.
