Florida State LB Justin Cryer enters NCAA transfer portal

Florida State linebacker Justin Cryer has entered the NCAA transfer portal, according to ESPN’s Max Olson. He played the past three seasons with the Seminoles and will have one year of eligibility remaining.

This past season, Cryer started eight of 12 games he played in and finished with 43 tackles (five for loss) and one sack. The eight starts for him were a career high.

Overall during his career in Tallahassee, Cryer has totaled 87 tackles (seven for loss), one sack, one interception and one fumble recovery. He played in a total of 34 games the past three years and will be an experienced contributor for whatever team is lucky enough to land him.

Cryer played high school football at Royal in Katy, Texas. He initially enrolled at Northwestern ahead of the 2023 season before transferring to Florida State after the summer.

Florida State is coming off of a 5-7 finish this past season that saw them miss out on a bowl game for the second straight year. The Seminoles are now a combined 7-17 over the past two years after winning the ACC Championship and finishing the regular season undefeated in 2023.

Coach Mike Norvell is confirmed to be returning for his seventh season in Tallahassee and faces a tall task to turn things around. FSU has already seen more than 30 players announce their intentions to enter the portal as we’re in for a complete roster overhaul.

So far, FSU has also added former Texas running back Tre Wisner through the transfer portal. We’ll have to wait and see who else joins him over the next couple of weeks as the transfer portal will take centerstage in college football.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

More on the transfer portal in 2026

The 15-day transfer portal this winter will be the only window, opening Jan. 2 and closing on Jan. 16. The NCAA opted to eliminate the spring transfer portal window for football, meaning this will be the only opportunity for student athletes to enter their names.

The move to a one-time-only portal is supposed to allow schools to finish their season with their entire team before the transfer portal opens. As has been the previous standard, athletes on College Football Playoff teams still playing would have 5 days beginning the day after their team’s final game to enter the transfer portal.

This season’s CFP semifinals are set for Jan. 8 and 9. The CFP national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.