Second former Florida State Seminole commits to Florida Atlantic

A former Seminole reunion is underway in Boca Raton.

Dustin Lewis | Dec 13, 2021

Florida State has already lost seven scholarship players to the Transfer Portal since the college football regular season came to a close over two weeks ago. Former Seminoles linebacker Jaleel McRae announced his intentions to transfer from the program last week.

A few days later, it was reported that McRae and a few other players that had ties to Florida State were expected to visit Florida Atlantic over the weekend. Former tight end Carter Boatwright committed to the Owls on Sunday and it appears McRae has made his decision as well.

According to his social media, McRae has also pledged to Florida Atlantic. That means McRae will be back under former head coach Willie Taggart, who he originally signed with at Florida State in 2019.

The Florida native totaled 22 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack during his first two years in Tallahassee but he did not record a statistic in 2021. He was never able to consistently crack a linebacker's rotation that was in clear need of play-makers. In his place, younger players such as Kalen DeLoach and DJ Lundy blossomed.

The hope is that McRae will be able to return to the form that had him regarded as one of the top outside linebackers in the 2019 class. For whatever reason, it just didn't click for him at Florida State. Florida Atlantic is set to lose its top two linebackers heading into the offseason so there is an opportunity for McRae to earn immediate playing time.

As for the Seminoles, there are six projected scholarship returning linebackers on the roster; Amari Gainer, DJ Lundy, Kalen DeLoach, Stephen Dix Jr, Jadarius Green-McKnight, and Jordan Eubanks. The coaching staff has one linebacker, Omar Graham Jr, committed in their 2022 class. They are pushing for another high school addition and evaluating the transfer portal to try and find depth.

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Published Dec 13, 2021

DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined NoleGameday in 2016 and is currently in the role of Editor-In-Chief. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis contributes to football, recruiting, and basketball coverage. Connect with Dustin on Twitter at @DustinLewisNG.