Florida State begins its College World Series run on Friday night in the Tallahassee Regional, but as the calendar gets set to turn to June, the start of football season is beginning to weigh more heavily on fans’ minds.
In what will be the first of several offseason roundtables, the Noled Out staff comprised of editor Mike Ferguson and staff writers Jon Marchant and Clint Eiland discussed a handful of questions pertaining to the upcoming 2015 season.
1. What is the most intriguing offseason storyline for Florida State?
Mike Ferguson: If it wasn’t already, the transfer of Everett Golson from Notre Dame certainly makes the quarterback battle the hot topic heading into summer. FSU has three really talented freshmen, but the competition seems to be between Golson and redshirt junior Sean Maguire. Golson has two seasons of starting experience while Maguire passed for over 300 yards and led the Seminoles past Clemson in his only career start.
Clint Eiland: It’s got to be the quarterback battle between Everett Golson and Sean Maguire. If Golson can’t secure the job before the season starts, serious doubts will be raised about his value to the team and whether or not the circus was worth it.
Jon Marchant: Who is going to start at quarterback? Everett Golson or Sean Maguire? Vegas seems to think the over/under on regular season wins is 9 with Maguire and 9.5 with Golson. Can Maguire be more consistent in fall camp? Can Golson show he’s taken the next step and won’t turn the ball over? We’ll have to wait and see.
2. What’s an area where FSU will overachieve in 2015?
Ferguson: Losing Mario Edwards Jr. and Eddie Goldman early to the NFL Draft will certainly hurt, but expect Florida State to be stout up front defensively this year. Derrick Mitchell and Nile Lawrence-Stample will bring experience and the ability to stuff the run while Derrick Nnadi and Demarcus Christmas will make significant strides in year two.
Eiland: Pass-rush issues were evident in the spring game, but there were a ton of injuries that affected the defensive line. I actually think the defense will improve in its ability to get to the passer this upcoming season. Expect an uptick in sacks and quarterback pressures on the whole.
Marchant: FSU will overachieve in their running game in 2015. It has to. With so much uncertainty under center and a lot of new faces in the receiving corps, FSU will lean on Dalvin Cook and the running game much more this year.
3. Which under-the-radar player is most likely to become a household name in 2015?
Ferguson: Losing the greatest tight end in school history is never something to rave about, but Nick O’Leary’s absence might not hurt as much as originally thought. During the spring game, Mavin Saunders was absolutely outstanding. He finished with six catches for 91 yards and a score while showing good hands and a lot of athleticism.
Eiland: DeMarcus Walker has shown improvement each year and this one looks to be no different. After winning co-Defensive MVP honors with Rick Leonard in spring practice, Walker looks like he can provide the energy needed to improve the defensive line performance.
Marchant: This could go a lot of ways. I’m going to go with whichever cornerback wins the second starting corner spot opposite Jalen Ramsey, whether that’s converted running back Ryan Green or former part-time Seminole basketball player Marquez White.
