FSU football: 3 biggest needs in 2021 recruiting class
By Kelvin Hunt
Defensive Tackle
Listen, I can’t tell you how important it was for Mike Norvell to be able to convince Marvin Wilson and Cory Durden to come back this season.
Both players could have declared for the NFL Draft. Wilson was likely a first-round draft pick and Durden could have been drafted in the later rounds.
Those two players will cover up a huge weakness at defensive tackle as Willie Taggart failed to land any difference-makers in the trenches.
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Malcolm Lamar from the 2018 recruiting class has already transferred to FAU with Willie Taggart. He did bring in Dennis Briggs and Tru Thompson who looked promising in 2019, but Jamar Chatham, Quashon Fuller, Curtis Fann and Malcolm Ray are all tweener’s.
Meaning, they are players that don’t have true positions as Willie Taggart’s staff was beginning to recruit more to a 3-4 defense. Mike Norvell did bring in one defensive tackle with Emmanuel Rogers in the 2020 class.
Robert Cooper will be draft-eligible after the 2020 season which means the Noles could lose it’s three best defensive tackles with hardly any proven players behind them.
Mike Norvell has to bring in some big-time defensive tackles in 2021 or things will get ugly quick in the trenches.
Final Thoughts
FSU football has players at the skill positions that are talented enough to compete against most teams they’ll face on the schedule.
The biggest difference between FSU now and when they were winning 10 games a season is in the trenches.
The Noles can’t block well enough to establish a consistent running game. They can’t block well in pass protection, and those two things will cripple an offense.
On the defensive side of the ball not having a pass rush makes it difficult on the secondary because they have to cover receivers for too long.
The defensive line not being dominant against the run makes opposing offenses more difficult to stop too.
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These are the three areas FSU needs to address if they have any hope of being able to compete against elite teams again. Games are won or lost in the trenches and FSU could have some serious voids on the horizon if they aren’t addressed in 2021.