FSU football signee Keion Joyner to go the JUCO route

Well, the questions about just how the Florida State football roster would be trimmed down to its limit of 85 scholarship players have officially been answered. The ‘Noles made that number when it was revealed recently that 2016 outside linebacker signee Keion Joyner had not qualified academically and would enroll in Kansas’ Fort Scott Community College instead of heading to Tallahassee (per a report by 247’s Josh Newberg).

Joyner was one of four linebackers signed by FSU this year, as the Seminoles sought to add depth to that unit, which had been rather thin prior. The other newcomers — Dontavious Jackson, Emmett Rice, and Josh Brown — are already on campus, and join junior LBs Matthew Thomas and Ro’Derrick Hoskins and sophomores Sh’Mar Kilby-Lane and Delvin Purifoy.

A four-star talent from Havelock High School in North Carolina, Joyner was considered the NO. 14 OLB in the class of 2016. Joyner’s recruitment was somewhat unconventional, in that he did not visit the Florida State campus until more than a month after signing. If he returns, it could take quite a bit longer; Joyner’s academic eligibility issue is similar to the one that saw Shavar Manuel head to FSCC as well.