The last time we saw our beloved Seminoles take the field, was in the very first College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl game 2,256 miles away from Doak Campbell Stadium. Many watched from their screens as their dreams of two perfect seasons were crushed, while some die-hards (myself included) actually saw the tragedy in person. My Cali vacation concluded with a depressing walk from the stadium thinking ahead to the next season.
Well, fret no more because, come this weekend, FSU football is finally back. This year, we are looking to take what should have been ours last year, and doing so with a team of young guns and veteran leaders. We are ranked 10th by the AP poll, but we are still waiting for the official Playoff Committee pre-season rankings. Since I am ecstatic about the upcoming season, I wanted to give a preview of how our team is going to look and which players everyone should get used to hearing about.
So let’s state the obvious: Jameis, Jaboo, the Savior -- whatever you want to call him -- has moved on to the NFL. When he first declared for the draft, all sorts of quarterback assumptions began making the rounds, from Ohio State QB Braxton Miller transferring here, Sean McGuire earning the spot, to possibly starting a freshman.
Even though we did lose one promising freshman QB this summer, we gained a veteran leader. Former Notre Dame QB, Everett Golson, who is entering his fifth and final year of college football, looks to prove he has what it takes to lead FSU to another National Championship. Golson is coming off a down year in production, but a change of scenery may be what he needed. He has the experience of leading a team to an undefeated regular season. Just about two and a half years ago he led the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the 2013 National Championship game against Alabama. Former back-up QB, Sean McGuire, does have one thing over Golson -- he's been here for three years and already knows the playbook, which is one of the most complex playbooks in the NCAA.
Earlier this week, coach Jimbo Fisher announced Golson as the victor of the quarterback battle -- at least for the first game. I’m sure you've all heard the news by now, but in case you live under a rock, the suspension for the 2014 second-team All-ACC running back, Dalvin Cook, has been lifted as he was found not guilty of battery. He returns this season to attempt to out do his incredible freshman season. Last year he set an FSU freshman record with 1,008 yards and eight rushing touchdowns on just 170 carries. Let me remind you he just turned 20 years old.
So, assuming Cook is our number one running back, D-lines all over the nation aren’t ready for the depth we have at rushing. Mario Pender, a red shirt junior, is coming off a year of injuries, but is showing a lot of promise at fall camp with his exceptional speed and toughness. Let’s not forget our newest monster of a running back, recruit Jacques Patrick. At 6’2" and 235 pounds, the kid could run through any of our thousands of brick walls on campus. He was one of the top five running backs in the class of 2015, and looks to contribute heavily to our stacked run game.
This is a year of change for the offensive line. After last season we lost four offensive line starters to the NFL. The young linemen look to fill the holes of Cam Erving, Josue Matias, Tre’ Jackson, and Bobby Hart. Our new offensive line has guys who didn’t really get to play much last season, but will definitely get a shot this year. As you can imagine all of them are mammoths of men who don’t lack much compared to their former counterparts except experience. Left Tackle Rod Johnson and Right guard Wilson Bell are two of these forces sizing up at 6’7" and 6’4," respectively, with both weighing in at around 315 pounds. I'm stoked to see how these guys do with the opportunities given to them this season.
Our receiver corps is primarily the same, with returning studs Ermon Lane, Travis Rudolph, and Jesus “Bobo” Wilson. Losing tight end Nick O’Leary and star receiver Rashad Greene is going to take some getting used to, but with our stacked weapons on offense we will be fine on the field (I’m still recovering emotionally from losing Greene). Another great new addition we have is freshman George Campbell who was one of the top wide receivers in the class of 2015. He will fit in great with our offense. We also still have speedster Levonte “Kermit” Whitfield as a receiver and a constant kick return threat.
Last year our offense was our saving grace. We often would be put to the test having to make incredible comebacks and crush defenses last minute (thanks, Jameis). We had one of the top defenses in the country, last year on paper, however we didn’t perform as well as we could have on the field. This season the defense is in the hands of Charles Kelly who is looking to improve the defense’s performance for his second year as defensive coordinator. We lost some studs on defense, including the ridiculously fast Ronald Darby and “Sorry, I’m in pajamas but I just got off the PJ" Williams (if you don’t get that reference you need Kanye in your life). Anyways, replacing both PJ Williams and cornerback Ronald Darby won’t be easy, but luckily we have some depth.
Our linebackers will continue to be stellar with Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup returning. Jalen Ramsey returns as one of (if not) the best defensive back in the country. Last year, he played safety but he will be making the switch back to corner. Alongside Jalen will be Nate Andrews, Lamarcus Brutus and, the number one recruited safety in the country, Derwin James. The beast freshman committed to FSU as a sophomore in high school, and has looked like a player in the NFL since he was 12 years old.
We have more stud defensive recruits, including, defensive end, Josh Sweat, and defensive back, Calvin Brewton. Overall, it will be a year full of changes for the Seminoles, but with our insane depth of talent, our incredible hard working team, and good old Jimbo giving teams a dose of real southern hospitality, we will look to seek revenge on the Play Off Committee and show we are unconquered.
I forgot to mention kicking. Roberto Aguayo is really good at kicking balls, probably the best.
