Florida State linebacker transfer Justin Cryer visits Kentucky

Kentucky has a need at linebacker to address. New targets keep emerging as we now have moved into Day 7 on the transfer portal window. At the halfway point, an ACC starter made his way up to Lexington for a surprise visits.

Florida State transfer Justin Cryer was on campus on Tuesday. The college football free agent made stops at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility and Rupp Arena.

📍 pic.twitter.com/m5Nx8sa5os

— Justin Cryer (@JuiceCryer) January 8, 2026

Justin Cryer was a class of 2023 from Texas who signed with Northwestern. However, head coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired in July less than two months from the start of the 2023 college football season amid hazing accusations. That created a window for Northwestern players to enter the transfer portal. Cryer did and landed at Florida State. The linebacker would spend three seasons in Mike Norvell‘s program.

As a true freshman on FSU’s undefeated ACC title team, Justin Cryer appeared in 13 games and made 12 tackles with most action occurring on special teams. As a sophomore in 2024, Cryer played in nine games and earned two starting assignments. The linebacker missed the last three games of the season with a leg injury. Cryer finished that season with 32 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one interception in 274 snaps. As a junior, Cryer played in all 12 games and made eight starts. The linebacker finished the season with 43 tackles, five tackles for loss, and one sack in 381 snaps.

Justin Cryer’s brother, LJ, was a star basketball player at Houston. Now the linebacker is looking for a new college football home and brings power conference experience and production to the table. Houston has been tabbed as an early school to watch, but Kentucky got the prospect on campus for a key visit.

Kentucky transfer commits

Player	Position	High School	Former School	Year
Olaus Alinen	G/T (6-6, 322)	Windson (Conn.) The Loomis Chaffee School	Alabama	Redshirt Junior
Max Anderson	iOL (6-5, 311)	Frisco (Texas) High	Tennessee	Redshirt Sophomore
Jovantae Barnes	RB (6-0, 211)	Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines	Oklahoma	Redshirt Senior
Ahmad Breaux	iDL (6-3, 278)	Ruston (La.) High	LSU	Junior
Jordan Castell	S (6-2, 213)	Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange	Florida	Senior
Xavier Daisy	WR (6-3, 210)	Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian School	UAB	Junior
Aaron Gates	Nickel (6-0, 198)	Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian	Florida	Redshirt Junior
Jamarrion Harkless	iDL (6-3, 315)	Lexington (Ky.) Frederick Douglass	Purdue	Redshirt Junior
Kenny Minchey	QB (6-2, 208)	Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II	Notre Dame	Redshirt Junior
Antonio O’Berry	EDGE (6-6, 240)	Huber Heights (Ohio) Wayne	Tiffin (D-II) | Gardner-Webb	6th-Year Senior
Coleton Price	iOL (6-3, 318)	Bowie (Texas) High	Baylor	Redshirt Senior
Hasaan Sykes	CB (6-0, 185)	Tuckert (Ga.) High	Western Carolina	Junior
Tavion Wallace	LB (6-1, 239)	Baxley (Ga.) Appling County	Arkansas	Sophomore