Florida State center Bradyn Welch-Joiner suffered a severe right leg injury late in the second quarter of Saturday afternoon’s matchup against Boston College at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The senior offensive lineman was carted off the field and into the locker room after multiple players rolled up on him during a short run on the final drive of the first half.
The incident unfolded as the Seminoles battled back from an early two-possession deficit to establish a 21-17 lead before halftime. Within seconds of the pileup, multiple Florida State players frantically waved toward the sideline for immediate medical assistance as Welch-Joiner writhed in pain on the turf. Medical staff quickly applied an air cast to his right leg before loading him onto a cart.
As the cart moved toward the tunnel, the entire Florida State coaching staff and roster stepped onto the field to surround Welch-Joiner and show their support. Since transferring to the program from Purdue in January, the veteran lineman has earned deep respect across the locker room and started each of the first nine games of the 2026 season.
Florida State starting center Bradyn Welch Joiner was carted off the field with a leg injury against Boston College. https://t.co/vLndkXqF1T
Thompson Steps in at Center
Following the departure of their starting center, the Seminoles turned to sophomore Chavez ‘Sandman’ Thompson to anchor the line. While Thompson saw action in four games last season, those appearances came strictly during garbage time, though the coaching staff has expressed strong confidence in his readiness.
The injury further strains an offensive line that entered Saturday already dealing with significant health hurdles. Florida State lost two major offensive stars to season-ending injuries during the previous two weeks, with running back Ousmane Kromah going down against Miami and wide receiver Duce Robinson tearing his ACL in a loss to Clemson.
Florida State starting center Bradyn Welch-Joiner injured in second quarter at Boston College, carted offhttps://t.co/uqIUiu7rhG
The remainder of the offensive line experienced temporary turbulence during the Boston College contest when tackle Xavier Chaplin left the game briefly in the second quarter. Chaplin successfully returned to action, though his brief absence forced a reshuffling that sent Nate Pabst to left tackle and brought in Chimdia Nwaiwu at right tackle.
Before joining the Seminoles, Welch-Joiner appeared in 22 games and logged 17 starts across his stints at Auburn and Purdue. Having exhausted the majority of his collegiate timeline, he is expected to have one final season of eligibility remaining.
Recovery Timeline and Medical Outlook
Although the program has not yet issued a formal medical bulletin regarding the severity of the damage, the nature of the injury and the immediate application of the air cast indicate that Welch-Joiner’s 2026 campaign is all but finished.
Florida State returns to practice in the coming week to prepare for the next phase of their schedule, with Thompson expected to take over first-team center responsibilities while the coaching staff re-evaluates blocking schemes in the wake of mounting personnel losses.
