FSU football has plenty of stars and talent ready to do work on offense in 2017 – but here are the five best players entering the upcoming season.
During the 2016 season, the offense for FSU football had plenty of things to celebrate. Led by All-American running back Dalvin Cook and starting quarterback Deondre Francois, the Seminoles finished 27th in the FBS in total offense – with a balanced attack that averaged 260 yards in the air each game and just over 200 yards on the ground each time during the season.
In 2017, the Seminoles are dealing with the loss of players like Cook – who became the good to man for much of this last two seasons in Tallahassee – to go along with three leading receivers in Travis Rudolph, Bobo Wilson and Kermit Whitfield. At the same time, Francois will be back with a year of experience and a group of players around him that may be young, but is full of skill.
So, who will be the best players for the FSU football offense during the 2017 campaign? We took a look at the roster and present to you the top five Seminoles on that side of the ball entering the upcoming season.
No. 5 – WR Auden Tate (Junior – Tampa, FL)
Over the last few decades for the Seminoles, the offense has loved to have a big, tall receiver who can go up and catch the ball over defensive backs that they tower over. From Andre Cooper to Greg Carr to Kelvin Benjamin and so many more, the Noles have thrived when they have a lanky target that just has to reach out and bring the ball in.
During the 2016 season, Tate was able to go up and make 25 catches – with six of them going for touchdowns – for an average of over 16 yards each time. The problem that Tate will have to work on entering the 2017 campaign is consistency, as he was not always seen as a dependable go-to target for Francois and the offense.
In 2017, the lack of experience at the wide receiver position has thrust Tate into likely the number two spot at the position when the Seminoles take the field against Alabama. The 2017 season will provide this FSU football player the chance to show that he has the ability to be the next dominate towering target for the Seminoles during the football season. If he can be consistent over the entire season, Florida State will be dangerous in the passing game.
No. 4 – K Ricky Aguayo (Sophomore – Mascotte, FL)
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When you are following in the cleats of someone who may have been one of the best college kickers in history – and he just so happens to be your older brother – things can be pretty heavy to deal with. During the 2016 season, the younger Aguayo had a chance to learn that his position may be the loneliest one on the field.
For all the grief Ricky got over the course of the FSU football season – missing all his field goal attempts against North Carolina, for example – lets not forget that this is a kid who, as a freshman in his first ever game, set the school record by nailing six field goals against Ole Miss and missed just one kick inside 40 yards during the entire year.
There are plenty of people who haven’t accepted the fact that just because he has the same last name as his older brother Roberto doesn’t mean he will be exactly the same. Yet, this Lou Groza Award watch list member for 2017 is someone who showed up at some big moments – including being the difference in wins over Ole Miss, Miami and Michigan – and is a valuable piece to Florida State this season.
No. 3 – RB Cam Akers (Freshman – Clinton, MS)
It’s almost insane to think that someone who hasn’t even taken a down in a college football game would be one of the best players on a team that is predicted to make it to the College Football Playoff. That’s how high the potential is for the man who was one of the most sought after players during the 2017 recruiting class.
Akers already has a semester of practice under his belt after enrolling early with FSU football this past spring. In the Garnet and Gold game to end spring ball, he averaged over eight yards a carry and looked like someone who would make the loss of All-American Dalvin Cook to the NFL go a lot smoother than people thought was possible.
It’s almost impossible to think that there is just one person who could replace Cook – the school’s all time leading rusher in yards and touchdowns to go along with his single season records – much less someone who was thinking about Friday night lights last year. Akers has shown himself so far to be the real deal…and will more than likely be the starting running back when the Seminoles take the field to open the season against Alabama.
No. 2 – WR Nyqwan Murray (Junior – Orlando, FL)
While Akers is going to be joining a committee looking to fill the shoes of Cook at running back, Murray will finally get a chance to step in as the leader of the receiving game with three seniors graduating after last season and no one else having the same experience of number that he put up during the last half of the 2016 season.
After registering just five catches for 46 yards in the first seven games of the season, Murray became a popular target with Francois and showed up in big moments – going for nearly 100 yards and a score against Clemson, having over 150 yards in a comeback win over N.C. State and going for 100 yards and two scores, including the game winner, in the Orange Bowl win over Michigan.
He’s not the tallest player on the field, but Murray has the kind of speed that will get him down the field in a hurry – just watch that first touchdown against the Wolverines if you need proof. FSU football will go as far as the offense takes it and Murray’s success will be a key in seeing if the Noles continue playing meaningful games well into January.
No. 1 – QB Deondre Francois (Redshirt Sophomore – Orlando, FL)
Entering the 2016 season, people knew that the man we like to call D12 was someone with plenty of potential – but it was unknown if he was ready for the bright lights. One year later, Francois is someone getting Heisman hype and plenty of talk if he is the best signal caller in all of college football.
It started with a 400+ yard performance in the opener against Ole Miss and continued for much of the year, highlighted by wins over Miami, Florida and the Orange Bowl over Michigan. For all the stats (over 3,300 yards and a three to one touchdown/interception ratio) it was his toughness in taking some big hits in games against teams like the Hurricanes and Clemson and getting back up to continue playing.
With a year under his belt and the departure of Dalvin Cook after last season, there is no doubt that this is Deondre Francois’ FSU football team and he will be the leader that takes them to heights that could include an ACC title and a spot in the College Football Playoff. His offseason was spent working on several issues that plagued him last year – but just like anyone else, you can only get better with age and experience…two things D12 got plenty of over the last year.
Next: Top FSU Football Wins Over Rivals Florida and Miami
Honorable Mention: C Alec Eberle, OT Landon Dickerson, RB Jacques Patrick, TE Ryan Izzo, RB Amir Rasul