ESPN Gives Florida State Top-15 Ranking in 2024 Way-Too-Early Rankings
Coming off a near-playoff appearance, what is the Seminoles' ceiling in the 2024 college football season? That much is unknown as Florida State will have a new quarterback under center with plenty of their top talents departing for the NFL Draft.
After finishing the season undefeated and winning an ACC Championship, the Seminoles were ranked No. 5 in the country, and that's only because Jordan Travis' season-ending injury that kept them out of the playoffs.
One would assume that a team that only missed the four-team playoffs because of a gruesome injury would be highly regarded heading into a new season, but that's not particularly the case for the Seminoles.
ESPN released their updated way-too-early top 25 rankings for the 2024 college football season, and it included Florida State, though they weren't given as high of a rank as some might of thought. ESPN ranked Florida State No. 15 in their updated rankings.
"It's difficult to know how good the Seminoles will be next season after they lost most of the stars who guided them to an ACC title and unbeaten regular season in 2023," ESPN wrote. "Coach Mike Norvell has once again done a masterful job reloading his roster through the transfer portal, adding a whopping 15 new players, including five from Alabama alone."
Evidently, Norvell's success in the transfer portal since arriving in Tallahassee should be enough to leave fans and poll voters confident that the program will be able to continue the success they've built over the last couple of years.
The Seminoles' young depth also had an eventful season and having that experience as they begin to hit the field will prove to be valuable. While new stars will emerge and Florida State will soon find a new identity, the program is in good hands with Norvell in charge.
"Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei will take the reins of the offense after throwing for 8,319 yards and 57 touchdowns at Clemson and Oregon State. Linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. (Georgia) was a nice addition on defense. Tomiwa Durojaiye (West Virginia) and Grady Kelly (Colorado State) are new faces on the defensive line, and Indiana transfer Jaylin Lucas is a versatile player and explosive kick returner," ESPN continued.
For reference, the Seminoles were ranked No. 8 in the AP Top 25 ahead of the 2023 college football season, though the circumstances were much different. After the offseason, it'll be interesting to see how much respect the guys in garnet and gold get in the opening poll.
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the offseason.
