Florida State University Athletics
Photo by: Susan Erdelyi
Justin Cryer Brings the Juice
9/10/2025 12:37:00 PM | Football
Florida State football's dominant win over No. 8 Alabama may have been a shock to some, but junior linebacker Justin Cryer saw it coming.
"That's my quarterback," Cryer stated after Tommy Castellanos' standout performance. "If Tommy says we're going to the moon, I'm strapping in. Doesn't matter what he says. He's our quarterback, and that man is a dog."
Originally from Katy, Texas, Cryer initially committed to Northwestern but transferred to Florida State the summer before his freshman year and has since found himself in a key role hundreds of miles from home in Tallahassee. Now, he's a leader on the field but he's worked hard to get to this point.
"Each year, I'm getting older and older as I'm having this interview, I've been on both sides of it. Now being an older guy, you understand the importance of being a leader and the importance of having strength in numbers because you never know when your number's going to be called."
As a true freshman in 2023, Cryer appeared in 13 games and made 12 tackles in limited action, gathering mental reps behind a defense that had five players in the 2024 NFL Draft. He made the All-ACC Academic Team and recorded a career-high six tackles vs. No. 6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
By 2024, Cryer was ready for a bigger role. He appeared in Florida State's first nine games and earned his first career starts against Duke and Miami. Cryer finished the season with 32 tackles, had an interception against Memphis and recovered a fumble at SMU. His year was cut short by a season-ending injury against North Carolina that caused him to miss the final three games last year, but his character was recognized with the Bill McGrotha Award, an award presented by the Tallahassee QB Club to the teams' top humanitarians.
This year, Cryer is one of Florida State Athletics' two representatives on the ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
This past offseason brought change to FSU's coaching staff, welcoming Nebraska's Tony White as new defensive coordinator. White practiced a different defense than Cryer was used to and one he wasn't necessarily sure he understood, so as someone wanting to better himself and this team, he went to White's office almost immediately after he first arrived in December.
"He didn't have to take the time, but he did. He broke it down for me and I had an idea of what we were going to do and had some peace of mind about it," Cryer said, mentioning that it meant a lot to him. "He didn't have to, he could have just brushed it off until the spring."
Before arriving at Florida State, Cryer was a three-star prospect, ranked the No. 25 linebacker nationally by ESPN and a two-time captain at Royal High School. His older brother, L.J. Cryer, played college basketball at Baylor and Houston, helping Baylor win the 2021 National Championship and reaching the title game with Houston in 2025.
Now, Justin, a leader on the field, is helping FSU work towards something big.
"The more depth you have, the stronger you are," Cryer stated, remembering being one of the younger guys waiting to be called up. "I believe in us and our side of the ball, and I'm super excited where we're headed."
"That's my quarterback," Cryer stated after Tommy Castellanos' standout performance. "If Tommy says we're going to the moon, I'm strapping in. Doesn't matter what he says. He's our quarterback, and that man is a dog."
Originally from Katy, Texas, Cryer initially committed to Northwestern but transferred to Florida State the summer before his freshman year and has since found himself in a key role hundreds of miles from home in Tallahassee. Now, he's a leader on the field but he's worked hard to get to this point.
"Each year, I'm getting older and older as I'm having this interview, I've been on both sides of it. Now being an older guy, you understand the importance of being a leader and the importance of having strength in numbers because you never know when your number's going to be called."
As a true freshman in 2023, Cryer appeared in 13 games and made 12 tackles in limited action, gathering mental reps behind a defense that had five players in the 2024 NFL Draft. He made the All-ACC Academic Team and recorded a career-high six tackles vs. No. 6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
By 2024, Cryer was ready for a bigger role. He appeared in Florida State's first nine games and earned his first career starts against Duke and Miami. Cryer finished the season with 32 tackles, had an interception against Memphis and recovered a fumble at SMU. His year was cut short by a season-ending injury against North Carolina that caused him to miss the final three games last year, but his character was recognized with the Bill McGrotha Award, an award presented by the Tallahassee QB Club to the teams' top humanitarians.
This year, Cryer is one of Florida State Athletics' two representatives on the ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
This past offseason brought change to FSU's coaching staff, welcoming Nebraska's Tony White as new defensive coordinator. White practiced a different defense than Cryer was used to and one he wasn't necessarily sure he understood, so as someone wanting to better himself and this team, he went to White's office almost immediately after he first arrived in December.
"He didn't have to take the time, but he did. He broke it down for me and I had an idea of what we were going to do and had some peace of mind about it," Cryer said, mentioning that it meant a lot to him. "He didn't have to, he could have just brushed it off until the spring."
Before arriving at Florida State, Cryer was a three-star prospect, ranked the No. 25 linebacker nationally by ESPN and a two-time captain at Royal High School. His older brother, L.J. Cryer, played college basketball at Baylor and Houston, helping Baylor win the 2021 National Championship and reaching the title game with Houston in 2025.
Now, Justin, a leader on the field, is helping FSU work towards something big.
"The more depth you have, the stronger you are," Cryer stated, remembering being one of the younger guys waiting to be called up. "I believe in us and our side of the ball, and I'm super excited where we're headed."
Players Mentioned
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