Sources: Florida State EDGE Derrick McLendon II visiting South Carolina

Florida State transfer Derrick McLendon II is currently visiting South Carolina, sources told On3’s Pete Nakos and Matt Zenitz.

McLendon, an EDGE rusher, spent four seasons with the Seminoles before making the decision to enter the transfer portal at the end of March. He finished his time in Tallahassee with 60 total tackles, with 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.

Defensive end has been a depth concern for Shane Beamer this spring. Jordan Strachan is still working back from a season-ending ACL injury. Terrell Dawkins has made a full return this spring after dealing with a knee issue throughout the fall.

McLendon, a former three-star recruit from Tucker (Ga.) High, had an offer from South Carolina coming out of high school, along with Georgia, Alabama and Michigan.

While McLendon may be seriously considering the Gamecocks, the Seminoles picked up former South Carolina defensive end Gilber Edmond during the December transfer portal window. Florida State also has Jared Verse and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Payton at the position.

“Derrick did a lot of good things for this program,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said when addressing McLendon’s departure. “He will leave as a graduate, and I’m very proud of him for that. He is going to explore situations that might be the best fit for him.”

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While the NCAA transfer portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement. If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Consensus recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).