What To Watch For In the Spring Game
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Amid the new logo and uniforms to be unveiled today, fans also get their first glimpse of the 2014 Florida State football team this Saturday. Well, sort of. Numerous starters will be sitting this one out due to injuries, and Coach Jimbo Fisher won’t want to chance injuries. That being said, there will still be plenty of story lines at work tomorrow, including…
The Back-Up QB Battle
Who has made the strides to takeover Jacob Coker’s role on the depth chart? Sean Maquire made some nice plays in mop-up duty last year, but John Franklin has a rocket. Someone has to pull-ahead in this race.
Freddie Stevenson
With three running backs gauranteed out, and another one most likely out, Saturday will turn into the Freddie Stevenson show. Will he be more of a Lonnie Pryor type fullback? Or will he be more like departed senior Chad Abram?
Who’s Stepping Up At Receiver?
Another player out this Saturday is Rashad Greene, which will give us plenty of chances to see how the rest of the receivers are coming along. Have Christian Greene and Scooter Haggins finally shown the coaches that they’re ready to be contributers? Or will the young sophmore trio of Levonte Whitfield, Bobo Wilson, and Isaiah Jones have to step up?
Seeing The Depth At TE
The Golden Bear’s grandson, Nick O’Leary, will be another player on the inactive list. Again, he will be back by summer camp, and we know what he can do. What about Kevin Haplea and Jeremy Kerr? What will they bring? I’m very anxious to see how Haplea has rebounded from his torn ACL, and if he has continued on last year’s successful spring.
Who Will Be The Starters Up Front?
For the first time in Jimbo Fisher’s time at FSU, the ‘Noles figure to have elite depth. Incoming former JUCO player Kareem Are has been so impressive that he could crack the starting line-up and force a position switch. He’s got to be the player to watch on the O-Line Saturday.
Has Anyone Stepped Up On The Defensive Line?
With Timmy Jernigan off to make millions, the ‘Noles desperately need someone to step up and help fill that void. The quantity of players is there, but what about the quality? Nile-Lawrence Stample and Justin Shanks will sit this one out.
Replacing The Veteran Linebackers
The linebacker depth this year is going to be scary good. I honestly don’t know if there should be concern about who’s starting where, because the options to rotate fresh bodies are going to be plentiful. There’s a bunch of studs here to watch, so just enjoy it.
Figuring Out The Secondary
The coaches move players around so much in the secondary that it’s virtually impossible to know exactly what to watch for. Who will step up in Joyner’s and Brooks’ roles? Where will Jalen Ramsey fit? How does early-enrollee Trey Marshall look?
Don’t Forget The Special Teams
Has Cason Beatty taken any steps forward? Can Aguayo be 100% on FGs this year? Can Stephen Gabbard step right in as long snapper?
These are the questions, and this team must address them before starting its drive for a repeat. Be sure to check back with ChopChat for the answers.
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