The college football offseason has been in full swing since early December. Due to the transfer portal, NFL draft, injuries and eligibility changes, college football rosters have seen their fair share of shakeups, with coaching staffs across the country working diligently to evaluate changes and finalize rosters for the newly established 12-team playoff next year. With spring football over and the 2024 season fast approaching, ESPN staff took a look at the teams within the “Top 25 Post-Spring” to identify the biggest question marks for each contender and highlight weaknesses that could be improved upon before the late-August kickoff.
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Ranked 11th in ESPN's “Top 25 Post-Spring,” the Florida State Seminoles experienced considerable roster changes following the conclusion of the 2023 season. The departure of Jared Verse, Braden Fisk, Jordan Travis, and seven other members of the 2023 roster due to the NFL Draft caused the team to lose significant production from last season. This, combined with several exits from the portal and injuries witnessed by the program, quickly began to show holes. In response, Mike Norvell and his staff worked diligently to replace the aforementioned talent with some of the most active members of the transfer portal, such as DL Sione Lolohea and QB DJ Uiagalelei, and the outlook for the reigning ACC champions brightened once again. Despite FSU's numerous new additions, ESPN believes the Seminoles have a glaring weakness: depth at the wide receiver and linebacker positions.
ESPN's Andrea Adelson wrote, “The Seminoles lost key contributors at nearly every position, but they must shore up not just their starters, but two areas they need to shore up: receiver and linebacker. Adelson noted Florida State's plans to trade Alabama transfers Malik Benson and Jaylen Brown for Keion Coleman and Johnny Wilson, but stressed the importance of consistent performance from players like Hykeem Williams, Jacquie Douglas, Deuce Span and Kentron Poitier.
Regarding the linebacker position, Adelson highlighted the loss of “two very productive players,” Cullen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune, calling DeLoach an “unsung hero of the defense.” However, he didn't offer any further insight into the linebacker corps beyond saying there is young talent at the position to rely on for production, nor did he mention redshirt senior DJ Lundy. Of course, fans of the Florida State program are aware of Lundy's importance to the linebacker corps. Lundy has recorded 54 tackles (six of which were for loss), two sacks, one interception, four pass breakups and two quarterback hurries, and Norvell has already officially stated that he believes the linebacker can be one of the best in the conference, if not the nation.
Aside from the absence of DJ Lundy, Adelson's assessment of Florida State's current roster is on par with what many already believe: The Florida State Seminoles have no shortage of players at any position, but it remains to be seen if their production level can fill the holes created by the departures of notable players.
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