Ten Thoughts On Florida State's Opening Depth Chart For The 2024 Season

A deep dive into Florida State's depth chart and noting a few surprises.

Apr 20, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles running back Roydell Williams (24) runs the ball during the Spring Showcase at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

Florida State began game week against Georgia Tech by dropping its first depth chart of the 2023 season on Sunday. While some positions on the roster were relatively locked down entering the preseason, there were quite a few surprises worth mentioning as well.

There are also some things we won't be able to pinpoint exactly until kickoff with 16 OR designations across the offense, defense, and special teams. That includes seven spots that have multiple players listed as potential starters, including right guard, right tackle, linebacker, nickel cornerback, and free safety. This doesn't come as much of a surprise as head coach Mike Norvell typically doesn't give away more than he has to, especially in a season-opener.

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Here are ten of my thoughts from the opening depth chart prior to a conference matchup across the pond.

1. The Seminoles Have Their New Starting Quarterback

In what didn't come as much of a surprise, graduate transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was listed as Florida State's starting quarterback with redshirt freshman Brock Glenn and true freshman Kuke Kromenhoek slotting in as backups. Uiagalelei has a wealth of experience after starting at Clemson and Oregon over the past few years. He brings plenty of size at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds, and a big arm to boot.

Uiagalelei has displayed consistent growth since arriving in town in January. There were certainly some up-and-down performances this preseason but he seems to be ascending at the right time after stringing together a few stellar practices last week. Mike Norvell believes the confidence that Uiagalelei is playing with could lead to a special season.

While Norvell and Tony Tokarz haven't had nearly as much time to work with Uiagalelei as they did with Jordan Travis, they've proven their ability to make quarterbacks better. Uiagalelei will be someone who should gradually improve as the season goes on.

2. 18 Freshmen Make The Two-Deep

Youth is abundant in Tallahassee and so is the talent. Florida State has a whopping 18 true freshmen or redshirt freshmen listed on the depth chart, including 16 on offense and defense. That's a sizable increase compared to last year when 11 freshmen made the opening two-deep of the 2023 season.

Glenn and Kromenhoek are a given at quarterback but true freshman Kam Davis is listed as a co-backup to Roydell Williams in the backfield while Samuel Singleton is behind Lawrance Toafili and Jaylin Lucas. At wide receiver, Lawayne McCoy and Elijah Moore both made the two-deep which speaks to how quickly they've made an impact. Moore is the only freshman on offense or defense who arrived this summer to crack the depth chart. One of the standouts of camp, Andre' Otto, is a co-backup with Jacob Rizy at center and redshirt freshman Lucas Simmons is the primary backup to Darius Washington at left tackle.

Looking over to the defense, redshirt freshman KJ Sampson has a chance to play a big role as a co-backup to Darrell Jackson. The addition of DeMarco Ward in the linebacker room was somewhat of a surprise but he's continuing to grow. In the defensive backfield, KJ Kirkland, Ja'Bril Rawls and Edwin Joseph were a trio of younger defenders who made names for themselves this preseason. Charles Lester and Cai Bates could see time as the season goes on.

This is a promising development for the future of Florida State's program. The youth might take a few lumps while experience is gained but the long-term payoff could be too much to pass up depending on how these youngsters continue to acclimate.

3. Sophomore Linebacker Blake Nichelson Primed For Big Role On Defense

I boldly projected sophomore linebacker Blake Nichelson as the starter opposite of redshirt senior DJ Lundy before camp began. After 20 practices, the underclassman has put himself firmly in the mix to enter the starting lineup and play a big role on the defense. When the depth chart came out, Nichelson was listed as a co-starter with senior transfer Cam Riley.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see either player take the field first on Saturday. Riley is smoother than one might expect despite standing at 6-foot-5, 237-pounds. He plays with plenty of physicality and has experience playing in multiple defensive schemes following his time at Auburn. Nichelson has stepped up his game while making major strides with building his frame this offseason. His athleticism pops out amongst the linebackers and he's grown as a run stopper.

4. Jalen Brown Enters Season As Starter At Wide Receiver

This is one I didn't have pegged prior to the preseason as redshirt freshman Jalen Brown has secured one of the starting wide receiver spots after failing to record a catch during his lone season at LSU. It is worth saying that Brown put together a pretty strong performance overall during camp and got better as the period progressed. He was certainly more consistent when it came to catching the ball and seemed more confident operating in the offense compared to the spring.

Brown's speed is legit and he could be a burner for the Seminoles, evidenced by a personal-best 10.65-second 100-meter dash in high school. His potential as a deep threat has been on display over the last few weeks. Brown's best football is ahead of him but his presence will still be important this season in a room that hasn't exactly exuded confidence after the departure of Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson.

5. Other Surprises To Note At Wide Receiver

There were definitely some other things to note with how the wide receiver room shook out. Obviously, it wasn't a shock to see Malik Benson and Ja'Khi Douglas end up as starters. Benson is the only player to clearly rise above the pack while Douglas is a veteran who has played a lot of football for the Seminoles.

Outside of that, I didn't expect to see Kentron Poitier and Hykeem Williams as co-backups to Benson or Deuce Spann backing up Douglas in the slot. I thought Poitier and Williams would be battling for one of the starting spots. Poitier put together some of his better practices lately while Williams was pretty solid early this fall.

We did mention the possibility of the Seminoles going bigger in the slot earlier this offseason, something they did last year when lining up Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman across the field. It appears that will be the case with sophomore Destyn Hill out for the year with an injury. Douglas stands at 5-foot-9 but Spann is 6-foot-4 and true freshman Elijah Moore, who is also listed at the position, is 6-foot-4 too.

6. Marvin Jones Jr. Locks Down Starting Role On Defense

This is a notable one because Marvin Jones Jr. was limited for part of the preseason after rolling his ankle the night before practice began. The former blue-chip recruit didn't miss a beat when he did get back onto the field, putting together some great days in Jacksonville and continuing to trend upward this fall.

Jones Jr. has an elite first step combined with ample athleticism and strength. Plus, his frame has matured over his three years at the college level. The return to his natural position has Jones Jr. primed for a possible breakout campaign opposite of Patrick Payton.

Sione Lolohea, Byron Turner Jr., and Aaron Hester will be important in this room as well.

7. Experience is the motto for Florida State's offensive line

345 appearances and 210 starts at the college level. That's the insane amount of experience that Florida State's offensive line has combined for ahead of the 2024 season. The depth chart is loaded with veterans as nine of the 12 players on the two-deep are juniors or seniors. That includes stalwarts such as Darius Washington, Robert Scott and Maurice Smith alongside reliable starters like Jeremiah Byers, Keiondre Jones, Richie Leonard IV, and TJ Ferguson.

Depth ended up being an issue for the Seminoles late in 2023 with nearly the entirety of what was essentially an eight-man unit dealing with injuries. That problem has been solved with the additions Florida State made through the transfer portal and the growth of younger players like Andre' Otto, Lucas Simmons, and Jaylen Early.

Otto, in particular, is an underclassman to watch out for. He has the versatility to play across the offensive line and has been compared to Darius Washington. A veteran and potential All-American at left tackle, Washington is a big leader for this room on and off the field. The health of Washington and Smith will still be critical.

8. Davonte Brown And Conrad Hussey Listed As Co-Starters At Safety

This is a battle that has been going on dating back to the spring and it's still unclear who will start at free safety on Saturday. Redshirt senior Davonte Brown and sophomore Conrad Hussey have competed neck-and-neck this preseason and that was reflected with the pair of defenders being listed as co-starters opposite of Shyheim Brown.

They each bring a little something different to the field. Brown is a veteran who has played at UCF and Miami. Most of that time came at cornerback but he's taken to the transition to safety extremely well. Brown brings plenty of physicality to the field and is one of the bigger hitters in the defensive backfield. His seasoned approach offers Florida State a higher floor at the position.

But then there's the vast ceiling of Hussey, who could potentially elevate the room to another level if he reaches the level of consistency from play to play that the coaching staff has been pushing for. Hussey's skill set is alluring and there's a chance he eventually becomes something special at Florida State.

Will that be as early as this season?

9. A Deep Backfield Reflected On The Depth Chart

Florida State listed six running backs across two positions on the two-deep for the depth chart against Georgia Tech. Roydell Williams is one of the starters with Kam Davis and Caziah Holmes as co-backups while Lawrance Toafili is manning the other spot with Jaylin Lucas and Samuel Singleton backing him up.

Even with Trey Benson moving on, Florida State's backfield has a chance to be as good as it was last year and maybe even better due to the sheer amount of depth. This is a unit filled with different players who can do unique things and fill certain roles.

I think all six will get opportunities to showcase their talent. Toafili and Williams should ultimately end up leading the unit but expect to see a lot of faces in the backfield.

10. Punt Return Battle Unclear Entering First Game

Once again, Florida State is replacing its starting punt returner and the Seminoles will have a new face returning kicks when Georgia Tech goes three-and-out on Saturday. Things worked out well last year with Keon Coleman, who turned in plenty of big plays despite standing at 6-foot-4.

It remains to be seen if the nod will go to senior wide receiver Malik Benson, junior running back Jaylin Lucas, or true freshman wide receiver Lawayne McCoy in Ireland. The trio were all listed as co-starters on the depth chart and they've been the three players working the most at the spot this preseason.

Florida State has already had success sending out a star wide receiver to return punts. There's no doubt that Benson could put together some highlight reel plays. With that being said, I wonder if it'll be hard to pass up on Lucas considering he's already an All-American kick returner. I'm leaning one of those two because I probably wouldn't want to put the return duties on the shoulders of a true freshman in his first game.

Either way, that'll certainly be something to watch. Lucas only returned nine total punts at Indiana while Benson and McCoy haven't yet fielded one at the college level.

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