Mike Norvell discusses DJ Lundy’s decision to return to FSU football over Colorado.

Florida State received big news on Wednesday when veteran linebacker DJ Lundy announced that he was withdrawing from the NCAA Transfer Portal and returning to Tallahassee. Lundy committed to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes on Christmas Day, but he has decided to continue with the Seminoles during this difficult process.

Hours after Lundy’s revelation, head coach Mike Norvell had the opportunity to respond. Norvell expressed his excitement at the 38th Annual American Heart Association Bear Bryant Awards to get the opportunity to coach the redshirt senior linebacker for another year.

“We’re pleased to have DJ as part of our curriculum going ahead. It’s a new era in collegiate athletics,” Norvell remarked. “I adore DJ and have spent the past four years with him, witnessing his development both on and off the field, as well as who he is and what he stands for. I believe that as he has the opportunity to explore possibilities and see what is available, it might help create an appreciation for where he is and who he gets to do it with.

“We’re excited about him and all the guys that are on our team because in today’s age, everybody’s got a decision to make and I think we are putting together a wonderful team and it’s going to be a fun team to coach and it’s going to be a great experience for those guys to be able to do it together,” Norvell said.

During his four years with the Seminoles, the Georgia native appeared in 45 games, starting 17 of them, and recorded 183 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, one forced fumble, eight pass deflections, and one interception. In 2023, he set a career high with six tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception at the college level.

Aside from Lundy, Florida State has redshirt sophomores Omar Graham Jr., Blake Nichelson, Justin Cryer, redshirt freshman DeMarco Ward, true freshman Timir Hickman-Collins, and Jayden Parrish on scholarship as linebackers.