Walter Nolen transfer portal rumors: 5 destinations for No. 1 overall recruit
By John Buhler
4. Florida State Seminoles have great success in portal with Mike Norvell
Given how well Mike Norvell has navigated the transfer portal in recent years at Florida State, no, it would not shock me if the Florida State Seminoles were a serious candidate to land Nolen. Even though the Seminoles narrowly missed out on the final four-team College Football Playoff, they are every bit back to being a perennial contender to win the ACC and make the expanded 12-team field.
With Jared Verse probably being a top-10 pick, I would not be the least bit surprised to see Norvell and his staff prioritize bringing in a guy like Nolen into the portal. Florida State is an ACC team that recruits and plays like an SEC team, so I get the appeal here. For me, the biggest thing holding the 'Noles back from being a presumptive favorite to land Nolen in the portal is quarterback uncertainty.
Jordan Travis' days of playing in Tallahassee are over. While it could be Tate Rodemaker's time to shine full-time next year, you have to remember that this is why Florida State did not make the playoff this time around. Therefore, I tend to believe that all things equal, Florida State will prioritize replacing Travis than replacing Verse if they could only afford to bring in marquee blue-chipper from the portal.
Proximity to home makes Florida State a more likely landing spot for Nolen than Michigan in all this.