FSU football returns one of the most talented teams in the nation this fall. Here are 5 players that need to step up their play in 2017.
FSU football will likely be ranked top five in the nation when preseason polls are released, and are expected to contend for the ACC championship.
They are also one of a handful of teams with decent betting odds to the National Championship.
The pieces are in place with an experienced quarterback returning in Deondre Francois, and what should be an elite defense with multiple starters returning.
There are lots of factors that come into play in winning championships. The schedule has to be favorable, injury luck must be good and players must have consistency week in and week out.
Teams also simply have to have just a bit of luck on their side too, just ask Alabama how balls bouncing off helmets for touchdowns work.
We’re going to take a look at five FSU players that must step up their games for FSU to be an elite team in 2017.
Logan Tyler-Punter
Logan Tyler didn’t have a terrible season as a true freshman punter in 2016, but it was a position of concern going into the year.
Tyler finished the season as the No. 82 punter in the nation, averaging 40.31 yards per punt. The national leader was from rival Florida, averaging 47.89 yards per punt.
The concern lies with Tyler not being able to flip the field with distance, and not having enough hang time on his punts.
The FSU special teams allowed an average of 18.60 yards per punt return in 2016 which ranked No. 127 in the nation(out of 128).
That’s awful considering the athletes FSU football trots on the field for special teams play. Tyler needs to add more distance on his punts and adding more hang time.
If distance can’t be added, at least get the hang time so teams won’t be able to return punts. This could be a critical factor is FSU’s offense isn’t quite as explosive without Dalvin Cook.
Janarius Robinson/Jalen Wilkerson-DE
I’m kind of cheating here, but it’s unclear which player will win the position vacated by DeMarcus Walker.
Brian Burns will see time here, but likely on third down situations like last season where he created havoc for opposing quarterbacks off the edge.
The problem with Burns is he isn’t quite big enough to set the edge against the run. That’s where Robinson and Wilkerson come into play.
Burns checks in around 225 pounds with Robinson checking in at 250 pounds and Wilkerson checking in at 275 pounds.
That’s a lot of extra beef compared to Burns, and what good will it do to have Burns on the field if he can’t do what he does best which is pass rush.
I don’t expect both or either player to replace what DeMarcus Walker accomplished last season, but FSU will need production from this position no question.
Josh Sweat
This is Josh Sweat’s money year so to speak. This will be the third year removed from the terrible leg injury he suffered in high school.
It’s still amazes me he played as a true freshman in 2015.
Sweat was injured in the early part of last season(separate from the high school injury) and still didn’t seem 100 percent recovered from the high school injury.
However, he really picked up his play in the last few games of the season and finished the year with seven sacks which was good for third on the team.
Sweat is one of the strongest players on the team and has always been solid against the run when healthy.
If he’s finally 100 percent, he could make himself a lot of money in the 2018 NFL Draft. FSU football needs him to have the same consistency he finished 2016 with to be successful.
Matthew Thomas
Much like Josh Sweat, this is Matthew Thomas’s money year. It’s also his final year at FSU after to Tallahassee as the highest rated recruit in the 2013 class.
He was rated higher than Jalen Ramsey.
Thomas has had a rollercoaster ride since committing to FSU. He mother died not long after he got to Tallahassee and he was suspended for half a season, and he was academically ineligible for another season.
However, Thomas overcame all of those obstacles to finally see the field as a starter in 2016. It wasn’t until the final few games of the season that he finally started to play to his five-star billing coming out of high school.
The Orange Bowl game against Michigan was what we have expected from Thomas since he’s been at FSU.
That version of Matthew Thomas can make the FSU defense elite in 2017.
Nyqwan Murray
Nyqwan Murray could be one of the most important pieces to the FSU offense in 2017. The biggest question for him is will he realize it?
Murray has the talent to be a game changer, but has struggled with things like attitude and putting in the work on the practice field.
When motivated, Murray is a receiver that could be unstoppable. When he’s not motivated, he’s just another player on the field.
He can make all the tough catches while changing the numbers on the scoreboard. It’s an element FSU hasn’t had since Rashad Greene was at FSU, a receiver that the quarterback can count on in the clutch.
The emergence of Keith Gavin could also open things up for Murray and Auden Tate. It’ll be up to Murray to take advantage of those situations the way he did against Clemson and NC State last season.
If Murray has a spectacular season FSU football likely wins a ton of football games.
Honorable Mention
Obviously, all the players on the team need to improve their games compared to last season. However, the five listed where the ones that absolutely have to show up and be impactful in 2017.
Here are a few honorable mentions that could have made the list:
- Deondre Francois-Francois played well as a redshirt freshman, but has room for improvement. Accuracy and not holding the ball too long are key things he needs to improve on.
- Ricky Aguayo-He’s not Roberto that’s for sure. He did OK last season as a true freshman, but he needs to be better in 2017. I don’t want to feel nervous on 40 yard field goals on the home field like last season.
- Jacques Patrick-Patrick played fine in limited duty behind Dalvin Cook. He’s listed simply because he’s going to be on the field quite a bit more in 2017. I expect him to have a great year approaching 750 yards rushing.
- Entire Offensive Line-The entire offensive line needs to show up and improve over last season.
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In a perfect world, if FSU football gets these players to step up their games in 2017, I expect nothing less than 11 wins. At worst, 10-2 with anything less than that being a huge disappointment.