Story byTomahawk Nation NewsMon, January 12, 2026 at 11:50 PM UTC·2 min readFlorida State will be losing a member of its 2026 signing class before he even steps on campus, with three-star edge Damaad Lewis announcing Monday that he plans to explore other options. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound prospect from North Carolina signed with the Seminoles in December but will be released from his grant-in-aid paperwork, with his departure compounding the attrition on the defensive line through the transfer portal. Nebraska and NC State were fellow finalists for Lewis, who had another 20 offers from the likes of Cal, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Texas, Texas A&M, Southern Cal, and Washington. His brother is former LSU and current Carolina Panther Damien Lewis. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement247Sports Composite Rankings considered him a high 3-star and the 461st best player in the nation (49th best DL, 21st best in NC). From his official Florida State bio:Three-star defensive lineman from Myers Park High School in Charlotte…ranked as top-50 edge nationally by Rivals and 247Sports…recorded 42 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery over 10 games senior season…led Myers Park to third round of 8A state playoffs…selected to play in Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas…as sophomore in 2023, helped lead Bellevue High School in Washington to 11-2 record and 3A state championship…brother Damien is offensive lineman for Carolina Panthers after playing four seasons with Seattle Seahawks…selected Florida State over offers from Texas, Texas A&M and Oregon, among others.