Tomiwa Durojaiye believes FSU can make him program's next first-round DE
In his first interview as a member of the Florida State football program Thursday morning, Tomiwa Durojaiye was extraordinarily confident.
The West Virginia defensive end transfer spoke of his belief that he has the potential to be a first-round draft pick and of his desire to win a national championship.
He cited his choice to transfer to FSU over Auburn and a host of other schools because he is confident he can achieve these things in Tallahassee.
"On my visit, I spent a lot of time with (FSU head coach Mike) Norvell," Durojaiye said. "To me, the biggest thing that stood out to me was coach Norvell asked me what I wanted to be and I told him straight up that I want to be one of the best defensive players in college football by the time I'm done playing. He told me he would push me to that every day...
"I think for me, coming to Florida State was more from an off-the-field standpoint of what made Florida State stand out more than Auburn. I think (Auburn) is going to be a great program, but Florida State was a better fit for me in becoming the man I want to be."
FSU will be Durojaiye's third school in as many seasons in college football. He signed with Kentucky as a three-star prospect in the 2022 class, but left after one season where he appeared in just three games and recorded no stats. This past season at West Virginia, he was much more productive, recording six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks for the Mountaineers.
With game film at the collegiate level now, interest for Durojaiye's recruitment this offseason was much more intense.
"When you've got film, you've played, (the transfer portal) goes crazy," Durojaiye said. "On January 2nd, I was in contact with a bunch of schools, but I think it was easy for me to narrow it down to the schools I was really interested in."
It's fairly easy to see why FSU would be an appealing destination for Durojaiye given its recent track record. Jermaine Johnson transferred in ahead of the 2021 season and had a remarkable season, earning the ACC Defensive Player of the Year honor and being selected as the 26th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
After Johnson, Albany transfer Jared Verse joined the program and was a first-team All-ACC defensive end each of the last two seasons with 29.5 tackles for loss and 18 total sacks over his tenure. Now, Verse is expected to be FSU's second first-round pick at defensive end in the last three seasons in April's NFL Draft.
This made the opportunity for Durojaiye to learn under FSU defensive ends coach/special teams coordinator John Papuchis too good to pass up.
"Coach JP is unbelievable, what he's done with Jermaine and Jared Verse the past few years, but even a guy like Pat (Payton)," Durojaiye said. "Those three guys, seeing what Coach JP has done with the three of them, I feel like he can turn me into a beast on the field."
While Durojaiye will play primarily at defensive end for the Seminoles, he's also ready to see what he can learn from longtime FSU defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins.
"I'll also work with coach Odell Haggins a lot. The biggest thing that stood out to me was coach Haggins, 95% of the d-linemen that have come through Florida State, he's touched, he's developed and a lot of those guys are in the league, I know their names, I know what they do and he's played a big part in developing them..." Durojaiye said. "The two of those (coaches) combined, I knew coming here I could become a first-rounder, I could have a key role in the NFL and a long career. I feel like those two can set me up for things I can't even imagine."
Durojaiye, a self-described football junkie, credits the talk he had with FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller for also playing a big role in convincing him to choose the Seminoles.
"When I first got here, we sat down and talked and you could just see the love he has for Florida State, the love he has for this place," Durojaiye said of Fuller. "I'm a guy that loves ball, I'm a junkie for football. Coach Fuller and everyone on this staff is the same way."
At 6-foot-4, 280 pounds, Durojaiye certainly looks ready physically to contribute on FSU's defensive line. He'll also certainly have that opportunity as one of three defensive end transfers brought in this offseason with Verse off to the NFL.
He already dove into transforming his body a bit more to have him even more prepared for a potential starting role opposite Payton.
"Coach (Josh) Storms and his strength staff, they showed me what they have done with a lot of the transfers that have come in, how they changed their bodies. Even guys who played for them, how they changed their bodies and helped those guys become the best athlete and best version of themselves..." Durojaiye said. "I work with the strength staff a lot and they've been pushing me, whether it's explosive lifts like cleaning and pulling, we squat a lot, we bench. On the field, we do a lot of change of direction, we do a lot of speed work. I feel like I've leaned up my body, changed up what I eat and added muscle mass but dropped my body weight. I feel like I can become a freak on the field."
Within the next few years, Durojaiye has aspirations of being a Thursday NFL Draft pick. He envisions a long career in the league after that.
On the path there, though, he does have other team accomplishments that he wants to achieve as well. After FSU was snubbed from a College Football Playoff spot this past season and deserted so close to the top of the proverbial mountain, he believes he can help FSU get that job done in the near future.
"I know what they want to accomplish here. I feel like I can reach all my individual goals, but I also want to win a national championship," Durojaiye said. "I won a state championship in high school and I want to win a national championship in college. I feel like Florida State is the place I can do that at."
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