With the Florida State Pro Day scheduled for Tuesday and the spring game fast approaching, the news around the football program has been significant. As the spring game approaches, position battles have heated up and a number of newcomers have begun to make an impact.
Roster Changes:
Isaiah Jones, a highly regarded 4-star wide receiver recruit from the class of 2013, will transfer. Jimbo Fisher spoke to reporters after practice Friday and confirmed that Jones had decided to go elsewhere to continue his athletic career. While at FSU, Jones was hampered by injury in 2013 before being ruled academically ineligible prior to the start of 2014. Even though this allowed some talented freshman wide receivers to emerge, it will always be a question mark as to how good Jones could have been. Florida State’s biggest receiver, Jones was very athletic and seemed to have all the necessary talent, but it was other factors that eventually did him in. Fisher said he expects him to land at East Mississippi Community College, where he will almost certainly get looks from another FBS team come next season. Jones finishes his FSU career with two receptions for 31 yards.
Position Battles:
QB – It seems for now that Sean Maguire is in the lead for the starting quarterback position though it is still early in the process. Maguire is receiving the most first team reps and has reportedly shown great leadership with the rest of the players. Dustin Tackett of Tomahawk Nation noted an observation where Maguire went to a tight end that wasn’t trying his hardest and gave him a stern lecture. The player was quickly corrected and instantly gave better effort.
WR – With the team returning such young guys like Ermon Lane and Travis Rudolph, the need for new wide receivers is not as pressing as it was last year. That being said, apparently George Campbell took some reps with the first team offense while Rudolph played the slot for most of practice. Though it’s early, Campbell has superstar potential for the Seminoles. While most young receivers don’t have exceptional first years in the FSU offense due to the nature of the system, Campbell could still make a huge impact and is certainly one to look out for.
OL – Walk-on center Keith Weeks was a bit of a surprise, as he got some first team reps on Thursday. By Friday, Alec Eberle was back in the said position and seemed to be doing well. The offensive line is still a bit jumbled because of a stomach bug that hit the team hard enough to cancel two practices. For now, it seems that most positions on the line are still up for grabs. Roderick Johnson is a guarantee, while others like Kareem Are and Wilson Bell are leading but there still could see some shifting. A surprise was that Corey Martinez didn’t seem to be in the immediate mix for a starting position. That being said, a lot can change before the ‘Noles take the field against Texas State.
DL – Chris Nee of 247Sports was reporting that the starting defensive line was a mix of Jacob Pugh, Demarcus Walker, Demarcus Christmas, and Derrick Nnadi. Nile Lawrence-Stample was present but wasn’t taking first team snaps for whatever reason, possibly a stomach bug. The interior positions seem to be the ones most in question.
Injuries:
Both Chris Casher and Matthew Thomas had shoulder surgery and will miss the remainder of spring practice. Casher’s injury is a bit disappointing because he had an inside track to starting on the outside. If fully healthy by the time the season starts, expect Casher to be one of the starters at defensive end. Thomas’ injury is very concerning however. He has already missed a lot of time due to a suspension from the NCAA last year and minor injury tweaks that prevented him from seeing more of the field. Thomas’ issues have been particularly frustrating given his talent and potential.
Chad Mavety was carted off the field on Friday in what appeared to be some sort of foot injury according to Nee. This is also concerning because Mavety had a stress fracture earlier in his football career in the same foot. Others however are reporting that it was instead a concussion and that the team was taking precautionary measures. Either way, he won’t be back for a while. Mavety was looking good in practice and seemed to be one of the top performers in the short time he was on the field.
As mentioned earlier, there was a stomach bug that hit the team hard and required them to take some time off. It affected nearly every position group and got to guys like George Campbell, Ryan Hoefeld, and Kermit Whitfield. A lot of guys may not have been at full strength and were probably trying to not push themselves too hard. The coming weeks will bring more clarity with the lineups.
Other News:
Ermon Lane seems to have added some quickness to his game, which is good news for the returning wide receiver. With a team that has as much depth at wide receiver as FSU, one needs to really stand out and push himself to maintain his position. Lane is already a great blocker and showed a ton of potential last year. If his improvements are as evident in the games as they are in practice, he could be primed for a breakout year.
Reggie Northrup was seen around campus lately and appears to be recovering at a good pace. He had no limp and both knees looked pretty healthy. While he is certainly sitting out until he gets the approval of doctors, it is good news for the veteran linebacker that led the team in tackles last year.
(All photos courtesy of Seminoles.com)
