The Seminoles are keeping Friars to bolster the defense
The transfer window opened in college football on January 2, 2026, and a lot of craziness has already happened in the past two weeks. One of the teams to watch was Florida State football program and how they will rebuild their roster, especially after how active they have been in the past. recently, they should have lost a couple of brothersbut he managed to hold on to both.
On3’s Pete Nakos reported it after Mandrell and Darrill Desir initially announced their intention to enter the transfer portal. The twin brothers were highly ranked defensive backs who were freshmen last season. Mandrell was ranked higher than Darryl, and saw more playing time, but they were packed and wanted to go for more time, before the Seminoles convinced them to come back.
The pair officially entered the game together on Jan. 14, but reversed that decision the next day and decided to return to Tallahassee for the 2026 season. It was a big win for Florida State to hang on to both after the pair combined for 53 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks as true freshmen. Mandrell had 30 tackles, 13 solos, 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Then, Darrill totaled 23 tackles, eight solo tackles, and one sack.
Mandrell earned All-American honors as a freshman in 2025, and each has a bright future in college football. Now it looks like he will continue his career in Tallahassee. They are Florida natives who came from Miami and have the opportunity to make their mark in Tallahassee.
Florida State needs all the help it can get to improve on its disappointing 5-7 record in 2025. This is also the season for head coach Mike Norvell. which was retained despite the disappointment.
The Seminoles had a big year after shocking Alabama in Week 1 to move up the rankings, but it went downhill after they couldn’t maintain consistency.
Keeping Mandrell and Darrill only strengthens a defense that still has plenty of talent and has a chance to get much better with their additions from the transfer portal.
2026-01-16 17:39:00
