ESPN Identifies FSU Football's Weakness On Offense And Defense Ahead Of Fall Camp

The Seminoles have some questions to answer on both sides of the ball during fall camp.

Florida State football wide receiver Malik Benson takes part in the final Tour of Duty winter workouts ahead of 2024 spring practices on Thursday, March 7, 2024. / Ehsan Kassim/Tallahassee Democrat / USA

College Football’s offseason has been at a fever pitch since the beginning of December. Between the transfer portal, the NFL Draft, injuries, and eligibility changes, college football rosters witness their fair share of volatility, and coaching staffs around the country are working fervently to assess the changes to and finalize their rosters before making a push for the newly established 12-team playoff in the year ahead. With spring football in the rearview mirror and the 2024 season fast approaching, the ESPN Staff took a look at the teams within their “Post-Spring Top 25” and identified the biggest question marks for each contender, highlighting the points of weakness that could use some improvement before kickoff in late-August.

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Coming in at number 11 in ESPN’s “Post-Spring Top 25”, the Florida State Seminoles witnessed their fair share of roster changes following the 2023 campaign. The departures of Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Jordan Travis and seven other members of the 2023 roster by way of the NFL Draft left the ‘Nole without a considerable portion of production from last year’s campaign. Combine that with the handful of portal departures and injuries witnessed by the program, and the holes began to show themselves rather quickly. In response, Mike Norvell and his staff worked diligently to replace the aforementioned talent with some of the transfer portal’s most prolific members, such as DL Sione Lolohea and QB Dj Uiagalelei, and the outlook was once again bright for the reigning ACC champions. Despite FSU's numerous roster additions, ESPN believes the Seminoles have a glaring weak spot: depth at the wide receiver and linebacker positions. 

ESPN’s Andrea Adelson writes, “The Seminoles lost key contributors at nearly every position, but the two areas where they will have to build up are not only starters but depth: receiver and linebacker.” Adelson makes note of Florida State’s efforts to replace Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson with transfers Malik Benson (Alabama) and Jalen Brown (LSU), but highlights the importance of consistent performances from the likes of Hykeem Williams, Ja'Khi Douglas, Deuce Spann and Kentron Poitier. 

As for the linebacker position, Adelson underlines the losses of “two highly productive players”, Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune, characterizing DeLoach as the “unsung hero on defense.” However, outside of mentioning that there exists young talent at the position that will be relied on for production, she provides no further insight on the linebacker room nor does she make mention of redshirt senior DJ Lundy. Of course, followers of the Florida State program will recognize his importance to the linebacker corps. Lundy notched 54 tackles, 6 of which were tackles for loss with, 2 sacks, one interception, 4 pass breakups and 2 quarterback hurries, and Norvell has already stated on record that he believes the linebacker can be one of the best in the conference, if not the whole country.

Aside from the absence of DJ Lundy, Adelson's assessment of Florida State's current roster is on par for what many already believe. The Florida State Seminoles have no shortage of numbers at any position, but whether or not their levels of production can replace the holes left by notable departures remains to be seen.

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