FSU Football: ‘Noles Receivers Third Best In ACC?
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football will lose four receivers from its 2016 team. ESPN says the ‘Noles will have the third best unit in the ACC in 2017.
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FSU will lose 63 percent of its receptions and 62 percent of its receiving yards among eligible receivers going into the 2017 season.
Juniors Travis Rudolph and Dalvin Cook have declared for the NFL Draft and seniors Kermit Whitfield and Jesus “Bobo” Wilson have exhausted eligibility.
FSU does return Auden Tate, Nyqwan Murray and tight ends Ryan Izzo and Mavin Saunders. This group combined made up 33 percent of the receptions and 37 percent of its receiving yards in 2016.
One important factor is this group made up 52 percent of the ‘Noles touchdown receptions in 2016.
ESPN’s David Hale ranks the wide receiver units like this:
- Clemson
- Louisville
- FSU football
- Miami
- Pittsburgh
FSU was in the mix for his No. 2 spot but he went Louisville:
"The No. 2 spot is something of a toss-up. Pitt has some big-play threats in Jester Weah and Quadree Henderson. Miami has a host of young receivers in Ahmmon Richards, Dionte Mullins and Jeff Thomas, but Richards is the only one with any real experience.Florida State, Duke and Syracuse could make a case, too, but we’ll go with Louisville here because of the Cardinals’ combination of upside and depth. Jaylen Smith had 600 yards and six TDs last year, Seth Dawkins and Traveon Samuel flashed promise, and Reggie Bonnafon blossomed as a red zone threat who could be much more with better consistency."
Thoughts
Come on, Duke vying for the No. 2 spot? Anyways, FSU does lack depth in the receiver area but there’s a ton of upside and talent.
Tate and Murray are the two most experienced receivers on the team and should be impact players in 2017. Sophomore Keith Gavin was the No. 17 receiver in the 2016 class and will look to have a breakout season as well.
FSU also signed the No. 8 receiver in the 2017 recruiting class in D.J. Matthews as well as Tamorrion Terry who’s a four-star recruit with huge upside.
The advantage these receivers will have over Clemson and other programs is FSU will not be breaking in a new quarterback.
Next: Will Miami or Florida Be A Bigger Challenge For FSU In 2017?
Deondre Francois should be better in his second year as starter, and FSU receivers could be poised for big numbers with teams looking to stop FSU’s stable of young running backs.