Florida State football took a major blow to its 2024 roster on Tuesday, when star defensive end Patrick Payton announced his decision to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Payton, a redshirt sophomore, announced his decision on X (formally known as Twitter) Tuesday morning.

He was not a player who was on the radar of someone expecting to enter their name in the portal.

The move is a surprise.

"Im Sorry Nole Nation I Plan To Enter The Transfer Portal…..," he wrote on his social media account.

His tweet followed an earlier cryptic tweet in which he stated, "Tsss i cant believe this finna happen.”

Payton started all 13 games for FSU this season - opposite star Jared Verse. He recorded 42 tackles, a team-high 13.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. Payton also had six quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and 10 pass breakups.

In his two seasons with FSU, Payton played in 13 games, recording 31 tackles, six tackles for loss, a forced fumble and three pass breakups.

He had five sacks, six tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in his breakout season in 2022, earning the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honor.

Payton attended Miami Northwestern and was rated as the No. 15 linebacker prospect and the No. 155 overall prospect, according to 247Sports.com, in the 2021 recruiting class.

With the expected departure of Verse to the NFL Draft, the need for an edge on the defensive line has gone way up for FSU.

Earlier in the day freshmen offensive linemen Qae'shon Sapp and Daughtry Richardson, as well as redshirt defensive lineman Ayobami Tifase announced their decisions to enter the portal.

This portal window runs from Dec. 4 to Jan 2. It has gone down from 45 days to 30 days this year.

Other players who have entered the Transfer Portal so far in this cycle include quarterback AJ Duffy, running back CJ Campbell, tight end Preston Daniel, linebacker Dylan Brown-Turner and tight end Markeston Douglas.

FSU Football 2023 Winter Transfer Tracker

Transfers in:

No players at the moment.

Transfers out:

AJ Duffy, QB, Redshirt freshman

CJ Campbell, RB, Redshirt sophomore

Preston Daniel, TE, Redshirt junior

Dylan Brown-Turner, LB, Freshman

Markeston Douglas, TE, Redshirt Junior

Qae'shon Sapp, OL, Freshman

Daughtry Richardson, OL, Freshman

Ayobami Tifase, DL, Redshirt freshman

Patrick Payton, DE, Redshirt sophomore

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: Patrick Payton announces he will enter NCAA Transfer Portal