Fentrell Cypress talks about mindset following transfer

Plenty of eyes are on Fentrell Cypress down in Tallahassee after the All-ACC talent took his skillset to a different school within the conference. After posting four quality seasons in Charlottesville at Virginia, he made the move to Florida State to join a roster that has some high expectations in the league and beyond in 2023. Still, Cypress lacks no confidence considering his change in circumstances because of who he is both on and off the field.

Cypress spoke about his transfer during media on Tuesday. He said he doesn’t feel any pressure with the Seminoles this spring because he would’ve been doing the exact same thing with the Cavaliers. His sole focus is showing his new program what he’s about and how he can help them come the fall.

“You’ve got to prove yourself no matter what. Even when I was at UVA, I had to prove myself there,” Cypress said. “So it really doesn’t make a difference.”

“Like, I’m proving it for myself as well. It’s not just worrying about the people outside. You’ve got to prove it to yourself and I feel like that’s what I’m doing each day,” said Cypress. “Just trying to prove myself and who I am.”

In four seasons at Virginia, Cypress put up numbers in his 15 starts. He produced 57 tackles, 14 pass breakups, an interception, one fumble recovery, and half a sack over the course of his 18 career games. That led to him being rated as a Top-75 player and a Top-10 corner in On3’s College Rating.

After that, he chose to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Considering his success and experience in the league, Cypress earned a rating as the No. 2 overall name in the portal. He was also the top corner on the move according to On3’s Top Transfer Portal Players. Eventually, he ended up seeing eye to eye with Mike Norvell and, before you knew it, he was a Seminole.

Still, none of the rankings matter to him when it comes to what he’s doing on the field right now. Cypress’ goal is to show his new teammates, his new staff, and his new program who he is. Based on his confidence level too, it doesn’t seem like it’ll take him very long to get that message across.