Florida State offensive lineman officially enters transfer portal

Redshirt sophomore offensive guard Dontae Lucus has officially entered the transfer portal, per On3’s Matt Zenitz. 

It was reported earlier this week that Lucas was no longer with the team at Florida State. He did not appear on the depth chart for the Seminoles’ game against Wake Forest this past weekend.

The former four-star recruit played 76 snaps in Florida State’s first two games in 2021, including 49 against Jacksonville State this weekend. He was flagged for penalties three times in the 20-17 upset loss.

Lucas has started 14 games in his collegiate career, with seven starts in each of the previous two seasons. He was named a second-team Freshman All-American by The Athletic in 2019.

The 6-foot-3, 335-pound lineman and former Top-100 recruit chose Florida State over multiple power five offers during his original recruitment. He held offers from Auburn, Kentucky, Miami, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama in addition to Florida State. Lucas committed to the Seminoles in April of 2018 before enrolling in January of 2019.

Lucas’ departure opens up some additional questions for the Seminoles offensive line even though they seem to have improved from last season. They have allowed five sacks, but the Florida State run game is averaging 230 yards per game.

Zane Herring is now a top backup at left guard, but he has never played in a game. Senior Baveon Johnson is the right guard reserve player, but he started at center last weekend for Maurice Smith who was battling an injury. Smith is listed as the starting center once again for this weekend’s game.

Florida State’s season has already become a rollercoaster

In Week 1, the Seminoles nearly pulled off a magical comeback against Notre Dame with quarterback McKenzie Milton making his incredible return. The Seminoles forced overtime against the Fighting Irish, but ultimately lost by a field goal. 

Week 2 was just as eventful for Florida State. Unfortunately for them, they were again on the losing end of the excitement. While holding a three-point lead with less than 20 seconds remaining, Florida State allowed FCS Jacksonville State to march right down the field.

Jacksonville State quarterback Zerrick Cooper found receiver Damond Philyaw-Johnson down the right sideline, and the Seminoles were unable to wrap him up despite having two defensive backs in the immediate vicinity. Philyaw-Johnson walked into the end zone to give Jacksonville State a walk-off victory. 

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum called Florida State’s loss embarrassing. 

“There’s no way anyone can not go with what happened in Tallahassee,” Finebaum said Sunday morning on SportsCenter, when asked the worst loss of the week. “We’re talking about six days removed from a Disney movie when [Florida State quarterback] McKenzie Milton came in and nearly pulled the game off against Notre Dame in overtime.

“And what happened on the final play of the game? This is not exactly a textbook of how to teach defense and effort.”