Analysis: What FSU Football gained and lost in Transfer Portal Exchange

There's an old saying I'm making up as I type this that goes: "The Transfer Portal giveth and the Transfer Portal taketh away." But, at least for now, as we breathe air in the middle of January 2021, not much has really been taketh from FSU.

On the other hand, as you've read over the last few weeks, as seemingly one SEC player after another has announced he's heading to FSU, much has been gained.

And that is what I wanted to focus this column on. I know we've all read the names, looked up their stats, seen their bios. But I don't think it's really truly been laid out just how much better FSU has gotten with their portal hits.

Especially when you compare it with who they lost.

First, let's take a quick refresher on the players from the 2020 Florida State roster -- guys who actually played on offense or defense -- who entered the transfer portal: QB James Blackman, WR Warren Thompson, DL Cory Durden, DB Raymond Woodie, DB Cyrus Fagan, DB Jaiden Lars-Woodbey, RB La'Damian Webb, OL Andrew Boselli and LB Kevon Glenn.

That's nine players.

And now here's a quick refresher on the eight who have transferred in so far: QB McKenzie Milton, DB Jammie Robinson, DL Keir Thomas, DB Jarques McClellion, WR Andrew Parchment, DL Jermaine Johnson, RB D.J. Williams and DB Brandon Moore.

You could make an argument (and probably win it) that just about every player in the FSU inbox is better than the one in the outbox. The lone possible exception could be Webb, who showed glimpses of being a dynamic player when healthy.

But we don't have to break it down individually.

If you want to get an idea of just how much better FSU got in the Great Portal Exchange of 2021, look at these career numbers: