FSU football fields one of the most talented rosters in college football. Which of its players will emerge as key team leaders?
The ‘Noles have completed its first week of spring and the prevailing and one of the biggest questions going into the season will be which players emerge as leaders.
That was one of the biggest issues last season as FSU’s presumed leader Deondre Francois was lost for the season in the first game.
Other players like Derwin James and Derrick Nnadi were leaders, but maybe not the most vocal type and the team seemed to lose its will to play for one another.
There were the rumors of the former coach leaving about mid-way through the season, in-fighting among coaches on staff and rumors of many of them not returning for 2018.
Insert true freshman James Blackman and starting the season (1-3), and it’s real easy to see why there was little to no leadership last season among a myriad of other factors.
However, confidence developed once all the smoke cleared and FSU won its final four games of the season along with Willie Taggart being named head coach.
It looks like some leaders have already emerged according to news coming out of the “The Chase”. Let’s take a look at five players that could emerge as the leaders of FSU football in 2018.
One thing you’ll notice is how important these players know playing together as a team and forming a “brotherhood” is to their team success.
Dontavious Jackson
Junior linebacker Dontavious Jackson played sparingly the past couple of years with upperclassman ahead of him on the depth charts.
Good things seemed to happen when he was on the field, but for some reason he just didn’t play as much and seemed to be in the former regime’s doghouse.
Jackson has charisma about him and has already exhibited leadership qualities by shedding some bad weight in the off-season.
As he said, he’s been rejuvenated by the new staff and the opportunity to grab a starting position is there for the taking.
Look for Jackson to hopefully evolve into a fiery leader on defense.
Marvin Wilson
Marvin Wilson is a former five-star recruit that played spot duty last year while learning from the likes of Derrick Nnadi and DeMarcus Christmas.
As you can tell from this interview, Wilson has a good personality but also has a business-like approach too.
He’s going to be a vital part of the defensive line this season and has also shed some extra weight to show his commitment to success.
Wilson is more of a lead by example type of player but I don’t think he’ll have any problems being vocal when needed.
The good thing about Wilson is he has the clout as a former five-star recruit that will make others listen when he does decide to speak.
Levonta Taylor
Levonta Taylor is an absolute dog in the FSU secondary and the former No.1 overall cornerback five-star recruit came into his own last season.
Taylor was among one of the best cornerbacks in the ACC Conference while boasting one of the best receptions allowed percentage to opposing wide receivers in 2017.
He’s vocal and plays with a swagger while also playing much bigger than his 5’10 frame.
Like Wilson, he has clout as a former five-star recruit and the track record from the last two seasons to demand respect from his teammates.
Taylor will likely start at the field cornerback position and look for him to have another great season as he can opt for the NFL draft in 2019 if he decides to do so.
James Blackman
James Blackman wasn’t a five-star recruit, but his play alone last season has commanded respect from his teammates.
He led FSU to seven wins last season against one of the toughest schedules in all of college football as a true freshman who didn’t enroll.
He showed leadership qualities BEFORE he was thrust into the starting lineup after Deondre Francois went down with his injury.
Blackman is in a prime spot to secure the starting quarterback slot in 2018. He’s experienced, will be getting way more reps in Taggart’s offense in the spring and seems to be more of a natural leader at a younger age.
If he wins the starting job there’s no question he’ll be one of the most vocal leaders on the team while building off his MVP performance in last years bowl game.
Cam Akers
Cam Akers has already emerged as the overall leader of this team in my opinion. A former five-star recruit that broke Dalvin Cook’s FSU rookie rushing record speaks for itself.
He was much of the FSU offense last season and is poised to breakout in Willie Taggart’s offense in 2018.
Akers plays with an edge, willing to run over defenders instead of trying to juke them at times. He has big play ability and will be a vocal leader when needed as evidence earlier this year at practice.
Next: 5 Reasons James Blackman Is Willie Taggart's QB in 2018
When the head coach speaks about you and basically says he wishes he had a team full of players like you then you know he’s legit.