FSU Season Preview: The Seminole Offense

Jan 6, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Rashad Greene (80) runs with the ball after a catch against the Auburn Tigers during the second half of the 2014 BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers

Rashad Greene will likely leave Florida State as the most prolific receiver in the school’s history. That’s a group that includes Fred Biletnikoff, Ron Sellers, Peter Warrick and Anquan Boldin. Since the day he arrived on campus, Greene has been one of the most consistent receiving threats on the Florida State offense.

Behind Greene, FSU has plenty of talented players to fill the voids left by Kenny Shaw and Kelvin Benjamin, it’s just a matter of who steps up and takes advantage of the opportunities.

Asked this week about who would be starting at receiver, Jimbo Fisher offered: ““Probably Pops [Christian Green] and Rashad [Greene] would be the two guys we’d feel very comfortable with. [But] I feel very comfortable with eight guys in that rotation, I really do. I say that’s not playing them all, but I feel very comfortable if they had to go into the football game.”

So… this thing is still pretty wide open. As a redshirt senior, Christian Green has plenty of familiarity with the offense. He also arrived in Tallahassee as a highly-touted recruit himself. But in the four years since, he’s had a hard time making it on to the field with regularity and when he has, luck seems to work against him. At 6-2, 200, Green has all the tools to be an excellent complement to Rashad Greene, but fans are likely to remain skeptical until they see that consistently.

In the slot, Jarred “Scooter” Haggins (RS Sr.) has the most experience and knows how to work the zones and find space. But Jesus “Bobo” Wilson (So.) may have a higher athletic ceiling, and — after he finishes serving a suspension for stealing a motorized scooter this Summer — should challenge Haggins for playing time.

Then there’s sophomore Levonte “Kermit” Whitfield, and his blazing speed, along with a trio of freshmen — Ja’Vonn Harrison, Ermon Lane and Travis Rudolph — that are also pushing to see the field.

Those are the eight. At this point, only Greene is a known quantity. The rest certainly have the talent to contribute early and often — it’s just a matter of who steps up.