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Florida State newcomer draws preseason praise
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- Florida State newcomer draws preseason praise
Florida State 's offensive line overhaul has been a major talking point throughout the offseason, and one national analyst believes one of the Seminoles' biggest transfer additions could play a pivotal role in the program's 2026 turnaround.
In a recent ranking of the ACC's top 10 transfer additions entering the 2026 season, On3's Andy Staples placed Florida State offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin at No. 8, highlighting the veteran lineman as one of the conference's most impactful newcomers.
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Chaplin arrives in Tallahassee after spending the 2025 season with the Auburn Tigers , but Staples pointed to the level of play he displayed during his two-year stint with the Virginia Tech Hokies as the version Florida State hopes to see this fall.
"The Seminoles hope they get the version of Xavier Chaplin who starred at Virginia Tech in 2023 and 2024 and not the version who had just an average season at Auburn last year," Staples wrote. "Chaplin is huge (6-foot-8, 346 pounds) and when he's playing well, he can easily displace other humans in the run game. Even if he's the Auburn version, he'll help Florida State. If Chaplin returns to the form he showed in Blacksburg, he could be a major upgrade."
Chaplin's addition was one of several moves FSU made to strengthen the trenches this offseason, with them set to have an entirely new starting lineup. With the Seminoles looking to rebound from consecutive losing seasons, improving the play of the offensive front has been one of the staff's top priorities throughout the offseason.
The veteran tackle brings valuable experience to a unit that will feature five new faces in 2026. Having started games in both the ACC and SEC, Chaplin has faced some of the nation's top defensive linemen during his collegiate career. That experience is expected to be invaluable as FSU faces one of the conference's most challenging schedules.
Although the rankings are strictly a preseason projection, Chaplin's inclusion reinforces the expectations surrounding his arrival in Tallahassee. If he can rediscover the form that made him one of the ACC's premier offensive tackles at Virginia Tech, Florida State could have landed one of the conference's most valuable transfer portal additions—and a key piece in the Seminoles' bid to return to contention in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Florida State newcomer draws preseason praise
