FSU football will be down to more players in 2018 as both their leading wide receiver and a star defensive back are heading early to the pros.
While the hype around Tallahassee continues for the Wille Taggart era and all it will bring to FSU football, there is a growing concern at the number of players who will be leaving school early. From top picks this April like Derwin James to players that might not even get picked like Ryan Izzo, the numbers are growing for those leaving.
You can now add two more names to that list on Saturday when both wide receiver Auden Tate and defensive back Tarvarus McFadden announced they will be forgoing their senior seasons in Tallahassee and put their names into the NFL Draft.
Both players posted heartfelt messages on social media explaining the difficulty in making the decision and saying they will always love their time as members of the Seminoles.
To The Most High I Will Forever Be Indebted🙏🏾💯 #YoursTruly pic.twitter.com/TgmXVwaNLo
— Auden Tate (@lil_t8te) January 6, 2018
To the most high I️ will forever be indebted 🙏🏾 and I will forever bleed garnet and gold!!!!! 🙏🏾❤️ pic.twitter.com/R2MAj9Sg16
— Tarvarus McFadden (@DaRealTeetime) January 6, 2018
Tate was FSU football’s leading receiver this past season as far as number of receptions (40) and total touchdowns with 10 while finishing with 548 yards. He was a tall target who became a virtual best friend on the field this season with James Blackman after the freshman took over at the starting quarterback spot.
McFadden, who had eight interceptions as a sophomore in 2016 and won the Jack Tatum Award, didn’t pick off a single pass this season and accounted for just 30 tackles and 10 pass breakups, with his biggest highlight of the season being a blocked punt return for a touchdown against Delaware State.
Tate and McFadden join several other FSU football stars from this season in turning pro, a group that includes James, defensive end Josh Sweat and Izzo. The loss of Tate and Izzo takes away a third of the reception yards and two thirds of the passing touchdowns this past season.
Next: Way Too Early Breakout Offensive Player in 2018 for FSU
On defense, the trio of Sweat, James and departing senior linebacker Matthew Thomas will be taking a quarter of the team’s tackles and a third of their sacks from 2017 with them to the NFL.