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Auburn transfer OT Xavier Chaplin commits to Florida State

Danby: Daniel Hager01/09/26DanielHagerOn3

Auburn transfer OT Xavier Chaplin has committed to Florida State. On3’s Pete Nakos reported the news.

Chaplin started all 12 games at left tackle for the Tigers this season. He was On3’s No. 4-ranked OT in the Transfer Portal, and No. 49-ranked player overall.

Prior to enrolling at Virginia Tech out of high school, Chaplin was ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 665 overall player in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Consensus. He was the No. 43-ranked OT in his class and the No. 8 overall player from the state of South Carolina, hailing from Whale Branch.

“I learned that they plan on trying to use me to showcase my talent the best they could,” Chaplin told WarChant‘s Matt LaSerre following his visit to FSU on Thursday. “They’re trying to get me out. They want to just show how dominant I am as a player and as an offensive linemen.”

Florida State looks to bounce back from back-to-back disappointing seasons

It was a disappointing season for the Florida State Seminoles, who were coming off their worst season in program history (2-10 in 2024). The year opened strongly with a marquee victory over No. 8 Alabama in Tallahassee, which propelled them to a No. 14 ranking in the AP Poll Rankings.

Following that win, however, FSU went just 4-7 over its final 11 games and missed the postseason for the second consecutive season. Florida State administration made the decision to retain head coach Mike Norvell, who claimed that the program was ‘close’ near the end of the season.

“I believe that we are close,” Norvell said. “You lose six games, and it sucks. Like I said, we have absolutely not been close to the expectation of what I have for this team, for what I have and for what I know is the overall expectation of Florida State football, in general.”

“But I do believe in where we’re going. I do believe in some of the progress that we’ve been able to see, but it’s not consistent enough. Even in games, where there’s — it’s not like there’s games where we haven’t shown up. We’ve been able to gain yards. We’ve been able to hold teams to less. You go through all that.”

Across six seasons in Tallahassee, Norvell has led the ‘Noles to a 38-34 (22-26) record.

Florida State’s Transfer Portal Additions

Xavier Chaplin is the ninth Transfer Portal addition for Florida State.

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.