Richie Leonard IV is a perfect example of why the NCAA opened the Transfer Portal for players.

The opportunity to find a situation that fits you better when the situation at your former school doesn't fit your needs anymore.

That was the case for Leonard, who committed to former Florida coach Dan Mullen as an early enrollee in the 2020 season.

During the 2021 season, the Gators fired Mullen and brought in Billy Napier. UF has gone 11-14 in the first two seasons under Napier's watch.

Leonard figured this offseason, it was time for a change for himself.

So he entered the portal and Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell was among the first to place a call.

"I won't say going in as a freshman I had a plan to leave later and that I surely wanted to leave later," Leonard said at his first availability with the Seminoles Tuesday.

"It was just the situation going into this year, I just felt it was what was best for me."

Leonard added that he was committed to the Gators during his senior year of high school and as an early enrollee, when Norvell and his staff took over, he was already on campus in Gainseville and did not get to build a relationship with the coaching staff.

But he was familiar with FSU a little bit from the previous coaching staff, which also recruited him as a 3-star prospect and the No. 48 offensive guard in the 2020 recruiting class, per 247Sports.

Leonard started at left guard in all 12 games for the Gators last season, playing a team-high 755 snaps. Across his three seasons with Florida, Leonard appeared in 31 total games, including 14 starts.

One of the games he started was last season in The Swamp, when the Seminoles defeated the Gators 24-15, with FSU backup QB Tate Rodemaker defeating UF backup QB Max Brown.

Leonard said his respect for the Norvell-led program continued to grow from that game.

"Just always having a lot of respect for those guys," Leonard said of FSU. "The way they handled themselves when they played. The discipline they had as a team was something I thought was hard to not notice playing against them.

"So I knew, entering the portal, it was a viable option for me."

Recruitment to FSU from the portal, relationship with Alex Atkins

Running back Caziah Holmes and offensive lineman LaNard Toney were high school teammates of Leonard at Cocoa High School in Cocoa.

"After went into the portal, I was able to talk to those guys about this place and the relationships," Leonard said of Holmes and Toney. "Coach Norvell has a good relationship with the guys in the building. [They said] his door's always open and up to this point of me being here, that's true.

"[Norvell]'s a big energy guy. He's in here every single day with a big smile on his face. He's yelling at everybody. So you can't ask for anything better than that as a player."

Leonard entered the portal on Jan. 5. He visited FSU the following weekend and committed to the Seminoles on Jan. 13. He was the second OL pickup in the portal, joining Alabama offensive lineman Terrence Ferguson.

“I’m very excited about Richie coming to the Nole Family," Norvell said in a press release announcing the addition of Leonard. "He brings great experience, toughness and a versatile skill set that will have a big impact on our offensive line. Richie will be a tremendous addition to our program both on and off the field.”

His time on campus has lined up with what he was told during his recruitment and official visit, especially touting his relationship with offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins.

"When I was on my visit, I got to know him well," Leonard said of Atkins. "Everything that he's told me during the recruiting process I say, there's my sense of what's going on here every day, so I can't ask for anything more."

While Leonard mainly played as an offensive guard at UF, he will likely cross-train at different positions, including center.

"We got guys who like Darius [Washington], who has played every position on the offensive line," Leonard said. "So I think it's definitely something that probably is going to happen in the spring. I'm just here to help."

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Richie Leonard IV: OL talks about transfer from Florida to FSU football