Cornerback Ja’Bril Rawls is entering his redshirt junior season at Florida State. He experienced 13 wins as a freshman in 2023, and he’s also lived through just seven victories over the last two seasons.
Once the offseason came, Rawls originally decided to enter the transfer portal, and it was completely understandable considering what FSU has produced on the field over the last couple of seasons. Before it officially opened, Rawls made the decision that he was coming back to Seminoles, which was a bit shocking.
The only question was why did Rawls end up making this choice? According to him, what he’s established at Florida State was too much to walk away from.
“I had a job to finish. And I couldn’t leave my brothers behind as well,” Rawls said per Warchant. “I’ve built a strong brotherhood and bond with those guys for the past three years. And it’s my team … so I just couldn’t leave.”
There’s another reason that may have served as motivation for Rawls to return. He had his best statistical season in 2025 with 40 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, two pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. However, Rawls suffered a season-ending shoulder last November in a game against the Clemson Tigers. With how productive he was in just seven games, Rawls could be even better if he remains healthy and plays another year in Tony White’s system.
Speaking of playing more under White, Rawls touched on how he feels about going into his second year in his 3-3-5 scheme. Specially, the ability to have eyes on the quarterback a lot is something that Rawls enjoys about White’s defensive philosophy from a cornerback standpoint.
“We’ve got more time under our belt, for sure, with just knowing the scheme,” said Rawls. “I feel like going into Year 2 with the same scheme, I feel like that makes us more comfortable and more dominant than anything. … Got my eyes on the quarterback, what, 70-80 percent of the time? So, just me being able to play football how I want to.”
The Seminoles’ defense did take some strides a year ago. If that’s to continue, players like Rawls will need to be on top of their game.
This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU cornerback speaks on why he returned to the program
