FSU football is coming off a terrible season and some key players played hurt. Here’s five players who are irreplaceable for the Noles in 2019.
FSU football still is one of the more talented teams in the country despite going 12-13 over the past two seasons.
FSU will field players that were ranked No. 3, No. 6, No. 10, No. 35, No. 38, No. 50, No. 60, No. 51, No. 97, No. 109, No. 117 and a host of others in the top 200 over the past three seasons.
When I think of an irreplaceable player, I think of someone who can make a huge impact on games. If on the field he can make plays, and if not on the field the team could suffer from a huge drop off in play.
The Noles return a wealth of experience on both sides of the ball but the blowouts last year made it somewhat difficult to make this list.
However, I looked at how good I thought a player was, his impact and the depth and experience behind him to come up with this list.
Here’s five players I deem irreplaceable for the Noles in 2019.
Tamorrion Terry
The ‘Noles most explosive wide receiver returns for his redshirt sophomore season after leading the team in receiving yards (744) and third on the team with 35 receptions.
He led the team with eight touchdowns in 2018 and averaged 21.26 yards per catch.
The FSU offense was supposed be built around the run, but Tamorrion Terry was the lone bright spot on offense last season.
In fact, I still can’t fathom why he wasn’t thrown the ball more, especially early in games.
Terry is capable of taking the top off of a defense vertically just like this:
Terry will be will be heavily counted on in 2019 and will likely draw more attention even when the ball isn’t thrown his way.
The offense can function without him and there are other talented receivers on the team, but having his experience and play-making ability is a plus with a ton of unproven players in this unit.
Dontavious Jackson
The most experienced linebacker on the roster returns after having a breakout year in 2018.
Jackson is a former four-star recruit from Texas who was in the doghouse with the old staff and wasn’t given a real opportunity to get snaps.
However, he got into phenomenal shape last off-season and finished second on the team with 75 tackles in 12 games.
It’s crazy he only had 37 career tackles in 21 games going into last season.The linebacker group was one of weaker areas on the defense, but Jackson’s emergence and solid recruiting has turn them into a strength.
Jackson clearly was productive last season but there isn’t much proven depth behind him either with true freshman Jaleel McRae vying for a starting spot. Jackson’s backup Leonard Warner has now moved to defensive end, so having Jackson on the field most of the time will be a plus for the defense.
James Blackman
The quarterback who should have been the starter in 2018 returns to claim his presumable starting role.
James Blackman is the most talented QB on the roster and has shined in the last few appearances he’s had between one start last season and the final few games of the 2017 season.
The biggest advantage Blackman has is he was here last season and got a lot of reps in an uptempo system.
He has also had the most time to develop rapport with receivers, tight ends and the offensive line.
His teammates seem to look at him as the leader of the team and he’s always been someone willing to put in the work and set the example.
We got better today. Great workout with my brothers. pic.twitter.com/EDimGnDIRk
— Snoop Minnis (@Snoop_Minnis) July 9, 2019
Should Blackman not be available for whatever reason it would be a huge blow to the offense in 2019.
Offensive Line
This is arguably the most important position unit on the team so I couldn’t pick out just one player here. This offense will go as the offensive line goes just like last season.
The good news is this unit has looked much improved since last season. There are some new faces on the line with Baveon Johnson replacing Alec Eberle.
Derrick Kelly is gone and graduate transfer Ryan Roberts will be looking to assume a starting role. Cole Minshew will look to stay healthy with Brady Scott and others like true freshman Dontae Lucas looking to fill in some spots if needed.
Kendal Briles‘ offense will feature the run and FSU has one of the most talented stable of running backs in the country.
As long as the injury bug stays away I think this unit will be much improved. All they have to do is hold up a bit better against the pass rush and the quarterback needs to get rid of the ball a bit quicker than in years past.
Marvin Wilson
The anchor of the FSU defensive line will be heavily counted on again to be disruptive in the run and passing games.
Wilson is the most experienced and best defensive linemen who’ll likely get paid a lot of money in the NFL wit a strong junior season. Check out the lift released on Twitter Monday morning.
FSU defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett’s defense is built around stopping the opposition’s run game. Wilson can penetrate as well as take up space and allowing linebackers to come downhill and attack.
He had his best year yet last season even though he was still recovering from an offseason leg injury early in the season.
He finished his sophomore season with 42 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and four QB hurries to go along with two passes defended.
Aside from Robert Cooper there’s virtually no proven experience behind Wilson and Cory Durden at the defensive tackle position.
There will be a huge drop off in play anytime Wilson has to come off the field and he’s vital to the success of the defense.
Final Thoughts
The FSU football team is stacked with talent and depth at most positions. The biggest questions are the offensive line and defensive end.
As I mentioned, the linebackers are a strength now, there are three capable running backs and the secondary is arguably one of the strongest and deepest units on this team.
FSU does backup QB with experience in Alex Hornibrook should Blackman win the job and then have to miss time for whatever reason
That’s a recipe for success given we expect the offense to be much better in 2019. The defense should be improved as by-product and hopefully special teams isn’t a continued disaster.
The good news is FSU will not face many elite offenses based on what the opposing teams did last year.
Lots of teams are breaking in new players at key positions and the Noles should win a lot of games as long as they don’t continuously shoot themselves in the foot.