Two Recent Florida State Transfers Expected To Take Official Visits to Colorado This Weekend

Two former Seminoles will be getting a close look at what Deion Sanders is doing in Boulder this weekend.

Players around the country are taking advantage and exploring their options after the NCAA Transfer Portal spring window opened on Saturday. In less than a week, Florida State has already seen four scholarship players depart from their roster and five overall since the beginning of spring practice.

READ MORE: Legacy Wide Receiver Commits to Florida State over Alabama, Georgia, and LSU

Two former Seminoles that are quickly gaining interest from schools around the country are swiftly exploring their options. According to both of their Instagram pages, defensive end Derrick McLendon II and linebacker Brendan Gant are taking official visits to Colorado this weekend.

The Buffaloes are set to play their first spring game under new head coach Deion Sanders on Saturday. There's a lot of anticipation ahead of the exhibition as the contest has already sold out. Plus, Colorado has already sold out its season ticket allotment.

Sanders compiled a 27-6 overall record during his three years at Jackson State that included a 23-3 mark in his final two seasons. Multiple players from the Tigers followed him to Colorado including cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter and both of his sons - quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback Shiloh Sanders.

McLendon and Gant are the two most experienced players to depart from Florida State for the portal so far this spring. McLendon actually left the team prior to the conclusion of spring practice and has been taking a variety of visits since then. He's already officially visited South Carolina and Missouri to this point of the process.

The Georgia native developed into a starter for the Seminoles in 2022 after previously spending the majority of his career as a reserve. McLendon recorded 37 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks while starting 12 of the 13 games this past season. He totaled 61 tackles, seven sacks, a forced fumble, and 12.5 tackles for loss in 38 appearances, with 12 starts, during his four years at Florida State.

Gant entered the portal on Monday afternoon shortly before FSU's final practice of the spring. This will be the first official visit of his transfer recruitment after Colorado offered him a couple of days ago. Programs such as UCF, USC, and Tennessee State are also displaying interest in acquiring the graduate transfer.

The Florida native began his career at safety before transitioning to linebacker last year. Gant developed into a valuable member of the defensive rotation while becoming one of the Seminoles' most important players on special teams. He recorded 33 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one pass breakup, and one recovery while appearing in 12 games. He was named one of the team's special teams MVPs alongside former tight end Wyatt Rector following the season. Gant totaled 112 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, three pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 43 appearances, with six starts.

There's no doubt that McLendon and Gant will be missed in the rotation in Tallahassee. Florida State is lacking experience on the edge and at linebacker at this point of the offseason. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the program pursue transfers at the positions to fill the gaps.

The Seminoles will also be looking at younger players such as Byron Turner Jr. and Gilber Edmond to step up at defensive end and Omar Graham Jr. at linebacker.

READ MORE: No. 1 Tight End Flips from Georgia to Florida State

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