Mike Norvell Expects At Least One Starter Back For FSU This Weekend

Norvell provided an update on Darius Washington, Jeremiah Byers, Shyheim Brown, Cam Riley, and Jalen Brown on Monday.

Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell before a game against the Memphis Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Florida State is preparing for its fourth game of the season with Cal coming to town on Saturday evening. The Seminoles are still searching for their first win of the year and can't afford to drop this contest with the program already sitting at 0-2 in ACC play.

Injuries are already beginning to pile up for the team after just three games. The Seminoles had five players miss the game, including a trio of starters in Shyheim Brown, Darius Washington, and Jeremiah Byers. Plus, Cam Riley and Jalen Brown were injured during the course of the loss against Memphis and were unable to return to the action.

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On Monday, head coach Mike Norvell provided an update on where FSU stands health-wise. As usual, he didn't reveal a ton of specific details but based on his comments, it seems like the Seminoles are hoping a few of the injured players will be available against the Golden Bears.

A big surprise on Saturday was the absence of left tackle Darius Washington in the starting lineup. Washington suffered an injury in pre-game warmups that forced him to sit out. Right tackle Jeremiah Byers missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury though he looked much more mobile on the sidelines compared to Labor Day.

Norvell is hoping that at least one of the offensive tackles, if not both, will be healthy enough to return this weekend.

"Promising that we can get one if not both [back]," Norvell said on Monday. "Obviously, JB, we'll see how that's gonna progress through the week. Darius, that was something that happened in pregame, kind of unexpected. We'll see where that goes as the week kind of progresses."

Redshirt junior safety Shyheim Brown was another unforeseen absence against Memphis. Norvell didn't mention Brown as being injured last week but he was spotted on the sidelines in street clothes with KJ Kirkland starting in his place when the game kicked off. He's expected back in the lineup this Saturday.

Riley and Brown went down with injuries in the first half and neither ended up returning to the field during the loss. Norvell wants to see how they progress during the week.

"Expecting Shyheim to be available this week," Norvell said. "When it comes to Cam and Jalen, we'll see how they progress throughout the course of the week. Both those guys went down there pretty early in the game. We'll see how those guys progress as the week goes on."

Florida State and Cal will match up on Saturday, September 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 EST and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

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