Florida State’s most productive defensive player has opted to enter the NFL Draft.

Earl Little Jr. made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon. A junior rover, Little Jr. led FSU in tackles (76) and interceptions (four).

“Being part of the FSU family has been a dream come true,” Little Jr. posted on Instagram. “The moment I stepped on campus, you welcomed me with open arms. I want to take this moment to thank everyone who has helped me along the process to get to this point.”

Little Jr. transferred from Alabama in 2024 and was a defensive back who settled in at a few different spots in the secondary. He thrived in 2025 as the rover, a thumper in Tony White’s 3-3-5 defense who defended the run well (although he had games where he didn’t grade as well in that area).

In his post on Instagram, Little Jr. thanked coaches at FSU and Alabama for “allowing me to stay true to myself.”

He also shared appreciation to teammates for being his brothers and “always having my back. Having you my by side not only made me a better player, but a better person as well.”

FSU’s secondary will take on a completely new shape in 2026, unless coach Mike Norvell and the staff are able to retain some players who entered the transfer portal. Among the defensive backs who have announced their intentions to transfer are cornerbacks Ja’Bril Rawls and Cai Bates as well as safeties Ashlynd Barker and Edwin Joseph.

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