FSU Football: Who Will Not Make 2017 Team to Reach Scholarship Limit?

FSU football still has some work to reach the NCAA limit of 85 scholarship players on their roster – meaning some upperclassman will leave the program.

Over the years, FSU football has brought in some of the top recruits from around Florida and across the country – giving them a scholarship to come be a part of the best team in college football. However, with months to go until the 2017 season kicks off, head coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff will be working to find a way to tell several of those players it’s time to move on.

If every player from the 2017 recruiting class is academically eligible and enrolls in school this summer, Florida State will have 89 players on scholarship entering fall practice – four over the limit of 85 players allowed by the NCAA. It’s a problem many major programs have and something most coaches hate doing after giving that player a chance to join the FSU football program.

The Tallahassee Democrat, in an article last week, mentioned that two players – tight end Jeremy Kerr and linebacker Delvin Purifoy – could be medically disqualified due to lingering injuries. While you never wish anyone to be hurt, those moves would mean just two scholarship players would need to be shown the door.

Here’s a look at some of the most likely candidates on each side of the ball:

Offense

There are two names that come to mind when it comes to those who have been dealing with injuries and fallen on the depth chart. One is wide receiver George Campbell, a former blue chip recruit from Clearwater who contributed on special teams in 2015 before missing 2016 with an injury.

A more likely option could be running back Ryan Green. The redshirt senior from St. Petersburg has clearly fallen on the depth chart at running back behind Jacques Patrick, Cam Akers and even Amir Rasul. As a graduate, he could transfer to any other FBS program and play immediately, so it wouldn’t be the end of his college career.

Florida State Seminoles Football

Defense

The defensive line is full of great players at both end and tackle (Brian Burns, Josh Sweat, Derrick Nnadi, etc.) to go along with top 2017 recruits Joshua Kaindoh and Marvin Wilson – not to mention three defensive ends committed for 2018. That fact alone means Fisher and company could be looking at that segment of the defense if they need to make a move.

The top name would likely be Keith Bryant. The former four star recruit from Delray Beach has had a total of six tackles in his career – not in a game, not a per game average…but for his entire career.

Of course, this all gets solved if several of the 2017 signees don’t get qualified academically. Once again, it’s not something you want but it is something that isn’t uncommon in the world of major college football. FSU football has two players last season have to go the JuCo level after signing, so a repeat of that would mean Fisher’s hard job gets a lot easier.