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FSU Football: How much can freshman receivers contribute in 2018?

By Kelvin Hunt

8 Nov 1997: Wide receiver Peter Warrick of the Florida State Seminoles goes up for the ball during a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. FSU won the game, 20-3. Mandatory Credit: Craig Jones
8 Nov 1997: Wide receiver Peter Warrick of the Florida State Seminoles goes up for the ball during a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. FSU won the game, 20-3. Mandatory Credit: Craig Jones /
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FSU football will do most of its damage on the ground in 2018. However, we look at how much of an impact freshmen wide receivers(including tight ends) can have.

FSU football wide receivers have been a laughing joke of sorts over the past few years with only three wide receivers drafted in the last decade.

Freshman wide receivers are rarely productive in college football but there are exceptions to the rule every now and then.

The Noles have arguably their most talented crop of freshman wide receivers/tight ends on the roster this fall.

Can we expect much, if any, production from them in 2018?

Florida State Seminoles Football
Florida State Seminoles Football /

Florida State Seminoles Football

Willie Taggart’s Offense at Oregon

If we look back at last season with Willie Taggart at Oregon the Ducks had 18 percent (37 of 203) of their receptions come from freshmen and 16.6 percent of their touchdowns (3 of 18).

Willie Taggart’s Offense at South Florida in 2016

Taggart’s offense in 2016 featured a QB run heavy offense because Quinton Flowers wasn’t an accurate passer. That was reflected in the numbers as freshmen accounted for nine percent (21 of 225) of the receptions in that offense. They also had a good senior wide receiver in Rodney Adams who torched FSU’s Tarvarus McFadden on the first play of the game that season.

Thoughts

Coach Taggart has run in excess of 900 plays the last two seasons with those teams passing the ball 33 and 38 percent of the time respectively. I think we could see more of a 60/40 split in 2018 simply because the defenses FSU football will face are better on average than what those two previous teams saw.

They are going to try to force FSU to pass at times by stacking the box and probably will have success at times. The Noles return just three receivers with substantial playing time so these freshman wide receivers/tight ends are going to have to contribute at some point.

I think it’s possible to see a split of 375 passes and 550 rushes from the offense in 2018. If that’s the case and the quarterbacks complete 60 percent of their passes, that’s 225 receptions to go around.

Next. Previews and Predictions For FSU September Games. dark

If the freshman can snag 50 receptions altogether, that’s 22 percent of the total receptions. Which freshman receiver is going to be your breakout candidate? Is it Tre’Shaun Harrison, Warren Thompson, Keyshawn Helton, Jordan Young or D’Marcus Adams?

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