FSU Center Bradyn Welch-Joiner Carted Off With Serious Leg Injury

Florida State Loses Starting Center Bradyn Welch-Joiner to Leg Injury Against Boston College

The Florida State Seminoles saw another key starter go down with a significant injury during their Saturday afternoon matchup against the Boston College Eagles in Chestnut Hill, with senior center Bradyn Welch-Joiner carted off the field before halftime.

Welch-Joiner sustained the injury on Florida State’s final drive of the second quarter when he was rolled up on by multiple players during a short run. His leg bent awkwardly beneath the pile, and he immediately showed signs of severe pain as teammates signaled frantically to the sideline for medical assistance. Trainers applied an air cast to his right leg before moving him to a cart.

As medical staff wheeled Welch-Joiner toward the locker room, the entire FSU coaching staff and roster surrounded the cart to show their support. Since transferring to the program from Purdue in January, the senior offensive lineman has earned the respect of everyone within the program and started each of Florida State’s first nine games of the 2026 season.

Sophomore Chavez ‘Sandman’ Thompson stepped in to replace Welch-Joiner at center. Thompson appeared in four games last year, though his playing time was limited to garbage time.

Mounting Injuries Test Depth for Seminoles

The loss of Welch-Joiner compounds an already mounting injury crisis for a Florida State team that entered Saturday’s game heavily shorthanded. The Seminoles have lost two of their top stars to season-ending injuries in the last two games, with Ousmane Kromah going down against Miami and Duce Robinson tearing his ACL during the loss to Clemson.

While the program has not yet issued an official announcement regarding the severity of the center’s condition, the injury will likely end Welch-Joiner’s 2026 campaign. Prior to his arrival in Tallahassee, he appeared in 22 games and made 17 combined starts across stints at Auburn and Purdue, with one season of eligibility remaining.

The rest of the offensive line experienced minor turbulence during the first half when Xavier Chaplin left the game briefly in the second quarter before successfully returning to the field. During Chaplin’s brief absence, the coaching staff flexed Nate Pabst to left tackle and brought in Chimdia Nwaiwu at right tackle.

Despite the attrition along the line and a back-and-forth first half that saw the Eagles jump out to an early two-possession advantage, the Seminoles battled back to establish a 21-17 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.