Fentrell Cypress, the highest-rated player on the Virginia defense in 2022, is headed to Florida State.
Cypress, a cornerback, entered the transfer portal on Dec. 5, and was among the more highly sought-after players in the portal, ranked a four-star transfer recruit by 247Sports.
The 6’0”, 184-pound fourth-year student will have two years of eligibility remaining.
“This is another fantastic addition to our program,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “Fentrell is a great player who possesses the unique combination of length and athleticism. He has a huge upside and brings a proven track record of consistent playmaking into our defensive backfield. He has collected incredible experience at the college level while proving himself to be a smart and disciplined player whose success has shown up on the field, in the classroom and in the community.”
Cypress had only played in nine games in his first three years at Virginia, redshirting after seeing action in two games in 2019 and appearing in just one game in 2020, before getting on the field for 297 snaps in six games in 2021.
He blossomed in the 2022 season at Virginia, earning an 87.8 Pro Football Focus grade and first-team All-ACC honors from PFF, which listed him as the third highest-rated cornerback in Power 5.
Cypress played on 661 snaps in 2022, recording 35 tackles, and in coverage, he allowed 18 receptions on 40 targets, a 45.0 percent completion rate, for 179 yards, with nine pass breakups and a 58.2 NFL passer rating against.
Virginia is also losing another first-team All-ACC corner, Anthony Johnson, and five-year veteran Darrius Bratton, as both are setting themselves to pursue NFL draft possibilities.
The defense will thus return just three corners who saw the field in 2022 – Jaylon Baker (86 snaps), Elijah Gaines (nine snaps) and Dave Herard (eight snaps).
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