FSU wide receiver/running back undergoes season-ending surgery

The Seminoles won't have a skill player available for the bowl game.

Florida State is participating in the postseason for the first time in three years after accumulating nine wins (and counting) in 2022. The Seminoles are expected to undergo some roster changes over the next couple of weeks leading up to the bowl game as players decide whether to stay with the program, transfer, or declare for the NFL Draft.

There are also some other players who will be unavailable for the remainder of the year due to injury.

READ MORE: Two former FSU quarterback commits announce intentions to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

On Thursday, redshirt freshman wide receiver/running back Joshua Burrell announced that he had surgery. Burrell was spotted on the sidelines with a boot on his foot at different points of the year but he was fully dressed out for Florida State's regular-season finale win against Florida.

"Blessed to have a successful surgery. Been a challenging first two years here with injuries. Ready to get back healthy and feel like myself doing what I love to do. Shoutout to my family and everyone in my corner for sticking w[ith] me. Proud of this, fr [for real]. 2023, it's up."

Blessed to have a successful surgery. Been a challenging first two years here with injuries. Ready to get back healthy and feel like myself doing what I love to do. Shoutout to my family and everyone in my corner for sticking w me. Proud of this team, fr. 2023, it’s up. #GoNoles

— Joshua Burrell (@JoshBurr9_) December 1, 2022

As Burrell noted, it's been a tough two years for him in Tallahassee with injuries limiting his impact amongst a deep core of skill players. He appeared in nine games this season with the majority of his impact coming on special teams. Burrell played 19 snaps on offense against Duquesne but didn't record a statistic. He didn't see action during Florida State's final three games of the season, according to PFF.

The Seminoles gave Burrell a look at running back during fall camp. He showed flashes early on at the position but the return of walk-on CJ Campbell from an injury and the addition of Penn State transfer Caziah Holmes seemed to flex him back out to wide receiver, where FSU had seven players record 100+ yards in the regular season. The team is expected to return the majority of its contributors outside of redshirt senior Ontaria Wilson. 

Plus, five-star wide receiver Hykeem Williams, four-star Vandrevius Jacobs, and three-star Goldie Lawrence are all committed to Florida State.

At running back, there's a possibility that redshirt sophomore Trey Benson goes pro. Redshirt sophomore Treshaun Ward, redshirt sophomore Lawrance Toafili, true freshman Rodney Hill, Benson, and Holmes will likely all be back in the fold. Four-star running back Samuel Singleton has been pledged to the Seminoles since the summer.

Despite the upward climb, Burrell's message indicates he plans to return to Florida State in 2023 to compete for a spot. He has a lot of upside as an athlete and brings the type of mindset on and off the field that head coach Mike Norvell is searching for.

The South Carolina native looked like he could work his way into the rotation at wide receiver before a lower-body injury limited his impact for the majority of 2021. He appeared in three games and was named a Seminole Scholar while redshirting as a true freshman.

Burrell posted videos on social media that gave an inside look into some of his rehab at the beginning of the year. He was able to participate in spring last year. The hope is that he'll be able to participate in the majority of the offseason program this time around despite the surgery.

The redshirt freshman originally committed to the Seminoles in May 2020. He signed with Florida State as a member of the 2021 class and was one of two wide receivers (Malik McClain) in the group.

READ MORE: Checking in on Florida State's Bowl Projections ahead of Conference Championship weekend

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