FSU Spring Game: 10 Things You Need to Know
Well Seminoles, after a long two-month hiatus, football is back! Well... Sort of. This weekend, the Seminoles are heading down to Orlando for their annual spring game. Due to all of the construction going on at Doak, the game was moved to the Citrus Bowl. Past Spring games have been a quality indicator as to who will be starting come the first game of the season. For example, Jameis' first pass in the spring game? He beat Lemarcus Joyner on a seam route for a touchdown to a receiver that has yet to see playing time. Last year, Sean Maguire's first pass was intercepted for a pick-6 by Derwin James Jr. A telling story of how both of their seasons were going to go last year. Let's begin: 10. Location! Location! Location! This game is in Orlando, but this should be counted as a blessing in disguise. Next year, the Seminoles open against Ole Miss in this stadium. I guess one could say, while this is a neutral site, This can also be considered a home game. Seriously, how may Ole Miss fans do any of us know from the Central Florida area? 9. Step-Up Receivers Last season, the Seminoles were looking for a go-to receiver. The top receiver for each week moved around depending on (A) who was a quarterback and (B) what type of defense was being played. Man-to-man? Throw it deep to Whitfield, no one can catch him. Zone? Wilson and Rudolph were great route runners. But again, no TRUE number one. According to sources who attended Spring Practice, Travis Rudolph has been taking huge strides to become that guy for Florida State. Can he be the guy? We should get a good idea on Saturday. 8. Dalvin is Not Playing Reports this week showed that Dalvin Cook had surgery on his shoulder and will be out for the Spring Game. Coach Fisher said that he will be back on the field by "June [or] July." This is not a reason to worry though. This gives Jaquez Patrick more time with the ball to develop as a runner and pass catcher. Cook will hit the ground running (literally) when preseason workouts begin. 7. Matthew Thomas Will See the Field Matthew Thomas was a five-star recruit out of high school at Linebacker. Outside of the quarterback storyline, the FSU linebacker core is another big area to fill. This is due to the starters, Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup, leaving for the NFL Draft on April 28-30. Thomas has been dealing with injury and suspensions. This is why the fans rarely saw him. But with the depleted core, Thomas has a chance to make an impact and cement himself as a valuable player at the position. This brings me to the next major point... 6. Linebacker Spots are Open for Business Like I said above, linebackers is the biggest need for the Seminoles next season. Florida State is returning only three of their front seven next season, so they need guys to step up. Now, many of the linebackers got playing time this year due to injuries at the position. Ro'Derrick Hoskins, Jacob Pugh, and Lorenzo Phillips are all guys who have a shot at starting roles who played last season. Keep you eyes on the position though for two names: Josh Brown and Sh'Mar Kilby-Lane. Brown is an early enrollee who people have said could take the starting job from day one. SKL is another guy who will get a chance. Ranked as the 12th ILB out of high school, scouts said he is a hard hitter and physical (something our front seven needs to be). Again, keep an eye on this position. 5. Sean Maguire Will Not Play Just to reiterate, Maguire is still recovering from ankle surgery and will not participate in the Spring Game. This could very well mean Maguire loses his starting spot to someone like DeAndre Francois. 4. Recruits for the 2017-19 Class Will Be There RB Khalan Laborn, OL Adam Boselli, & DE Dante Johnson are just a few of the recruits for next year's class that will be in attendance for the Spring Game. Each of these players are not committed to any program at this point in time, but are high on Florida State. S Cyrus Fagan and RB Jamel Cook (Dalvin's brother) will also be in attendance along with others who have already committed to the Seminoles. Others include DE Mike Morris (2019), RB Charles Strong (2018), and LB Bradley Jennings Jr. (2018). 3. Red Zone Threat Emerging? The "big" news at receiver is about our Red Zone threat. Fisher is looking to Sophomore Auden Tate to be the guy inside the 20. Tate is 6-5. You know who else was that tall? Kelvin Benjamin...
People have been talking about Tate being our guy for the Red Zone while George Campbell and Ermon Lane could fight for the WR3 spot for our big man on the outside.
2. Defensive Line Getting Bolstered
We will not be seeing anymore of Newberry or NLS clogging up the middle of the O-Line. It is time for some new blood to step up. Derrick Nnadi and Demarcus Christmas as of now sound like locks for the line come opening day, but who else will make the jump?
We have two freshman that could make an impact quickly. Most people will be cheering for the hometown boy, Cedric Woods. Fresh out of Godby High School, Woods would fill the Nose Tackle position. At 6-3, 309 lbs, no center is gonna be able to push this guy around. We will hopefully get to see Woods get in a great deal of snaps on Saturday.
1. Quarterback Controversy
Saving the best for last. Maguire is out, as I said earlier. This opens the door up for the other Quarterbacks on the roster: DeAndre Francois, JJ Consentino, and Malik Henry. Francois was given the first-team reps at the beginning of spring practice. This shows that he is the front runner to start if he can outplay Maguire.
Honestly, I do not believe Consentino is going to be a true competitor. Henry on the other hand could give Francois a fight. Both are duel-threats and both were highly touted during the recruiting process. If one of them gets the start, they will literally be thrown into the fire come day one against a SEC Powerhouse team.
