Former Florida State Safety Earl Little Jr. Transferring to Ohio State

Earl Little Jr., a second-team All-ACC honoree in 2025 as Florida State’s starting free safety, committed to the Buckeyes on Sunday.

BREAKING: Florida State transfer safety Earl Little Jr. has committed to Ohio State, @PeteNakos reportshttps://t.co/fUPCeijgcf pic.twitter.com/NgC1ed1jjA

— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 11, 2026

Little led Florida State with 76 total tackles and four interceptions as a first-year starter for the Seminoles this past season. He also recorded two tackles for loss, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Per Pro Football Focus, Little was responsible for just 14 catches for 168 yards and two touchdowns on 22 targets and 342 coverage snaps in 2025.

A four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Little began his college career at Alabama. After playing only 21 defensive snaps in two seasons with the Crimson Tide, Little transferred for the first time to Florida State in 2024. After seeing increased playing time off the bench in the Seminoles’ final five games of 2024, Little emerged as the star of FSU’s secondary in 2025.

Little, who declared for the 2026 NFL draft in December before opting to withdraw his name from the draft and enter the transfer portal, has one more year of collegiate eligibility.

He is the son of former NFL and Miami safety Earl Little. He is also a product of American Heritage School, where he played with Ohio State wide receiver Brandon Inniss in high school.

With Downs’ departure for the NFL, Little projects as Ohio State’s likely starting free safety alongside Jaylen McClain, the Buckeyes’ returning starter at strong safety. Leroy Roker III, who could compete with Little for the starting free safety job or potentially be a candidate to play nickel, is Ohio State’s only other returning safety who saw playing time last season. Two other potential candidates to start at safety for the Buckeyes in 2026, Faheem Delane and Malik Hartford, entered the transfer portal.