FSU Football: Projecting the defensive end depth for 2020

After breaking down the FSU football interior defensive line, Sam Tschida takes a look at what FSU fans should expect from the defensive end position.

Two weeks ago, we took a look at the depth of the interior defensive line of FSU football. The return of all three starters from this past season made the expectations for the defensive line as a whole sky-high, and we broke down exactly what fans should expect here. While the interior line is a very important part of the defense, it is only half of the defensive line in total. The other part, the edge defenders, are just as important, and this season, they will be the key for the ‘Noles on defense.

Last season, the ‘Noles transitioned to a 3-4, and it changed a lot about the way the defensive ends/edge defenders played. Defensive Ends Josh Kaindoh and Janarius Robinson transitioned to outside linebacker, while linebackers like Amari Gainer played a hybrid end/linebacker role. Here’s an example

The new scheme did not always work super well, and with lack of an exterior pass rush, the edge rusher position struggled at times. On the flip side, Kaindoh and especially Robinson excelled defending against the run, holding the edge and not allowing big runs on the outside.

New defensive coordinator Adam Fuller runs a hybrid 4-3 scheme and will install this defense at Florida State. A 4-3 scheme simply means that the base defense features four defensive linemen and three linebackers. This can change during a game depending on the situation (If you have ever played the NCAA Football video game, you are familiar with this), but the 4-3 is the ‘base’ that FSU will run this season.

However, while Fuller does run a 4-3, it is a bit different from the traditional formation, which features four ‘down’ (hands in the dirt), defensive linemen. Fuller’s scheme changes that up a little bit. He does normally run with four d-linemen but keeps the short-side defensive end standing up. This position is known as the ‘Fox’ and is a hybrid end-linebacker type, but the ‘Fox’ does not normally drop into coverage as we see with a 3-4 edge player.

Here, we can see Fuller’s base defense against SMU. We see three down linemen in a ‘3’ technique (between tackle and guard), a ‘1’ technique (in between center and guard) and a ‘5’ tech (outside shoulder of tackle). The fourth linemen, the weakside defensive end, is a two-point linebacker stance, which differs from the traditional ‘hand in the dirt’ defensive lineman. Unlike a 3-4, when the edge defender can have coverage responsibilities, along with rushing the passer and stopping the run.

With Memphis, the Tigers had a few players lined up at defensive end throughout the season. Looking back at Memphis game tape from 2019, #5 Everitt Cunninghan, #94 Joseph Dorcephus and #55 Bryce Huff all got the most playing time as the ‘edge’ defenders. Huff, for the most part, stayed as the ‘down’ defensive end, while Cunningham and Dorcephus played the stand-up edge. In Fuller’s defense, all three of them played a huge role in the Tiger’s season, with Huff leading the team in sacks and Dorcephus sitting in second. Both Huff and Cunningham stand a 6’3 and weighs almost 250, while Dorcephus is at 6’0, 240.

Now that we’ve taken a look at what the edge defender’s role is in this new defense, what will the defensive end position look like in 2020 for FSU football?