With a loaded receiving core returning, Chop Chat’s Sam Tschida previews what he expects the FSU football depth chart to look like at the beginning of the 2020 season.
In our ongoing series at Chop Chat breaking down the projected depth chart for Florida State, I have recently finished looking at the defense and started projecting the offense a few weeks ago.
You can read the offensive line and tight end previews here and here.
Much like at defensive back, FSU Football has a long and storied history of prolific wide receivers. From Fred Biletnikoff and Ron Sellers to Peter Warrick and Rashad Greene, there is no shortage of fantastic players who have played receiver for the ‘Noles.
Going into 2020, the ‘Noles are once again poised to have a set of playmakers at wideout.
The shift from Taggart’s offensive scheme to Norvell’s does feature in a change in receiver usage. I broke down what separates these two offensive schemes in the tight end post, and much of that applies to wide receiver as well. Norvell’s offense uses its receivers in a variety of roles.
To start off, let’s look at the base offensive formation in Norvell’s offense. Below we see the strong-side receiver X, along with the slot H, the tight end at Y, and the weakside receiver at Z.
Memphis is in the shotgun here with a running back on the heels of the QB. While sometimes Norvell moves the H behind the offensive tackle at the ‘wing’ and line up the Y in the slot instead.
This past season at Memphis, Antonio Gibson played both slot receiver and filled in a running back from time-to-time, finishing second in both touchdown catches and third in rushing touchdowns on the team. Norvell is also known to heavily involve his running backs in the passing game, with a running back finishing as the second-leading receiver during each of his four seasons.
Norvell has shown the ability to adapt to his personnel, and with a stud running back / decent offensive line, he will rely heavily on the run game if needed. The Tigers did this in 2018 when they had the insane trio of Darrel Henderson, Tony Pollard, and Patrick Taylor Jr., finishing seventh nationally in rushing yards per game.
But, this is a spread offense that aims to stretch the defense vertically, and the passing game is Norvell’s bread and butter. In three of his four seasons at Memphis, Norvell’s teams finished in the top twenty nationally in passing yards per game. Former Memphis receiver Anthony Miller had over three thousand receiving yards during the three seasons he played under Norvell (one of which Norvell was the offensive coordinator), and led the team twice with 14 touchdowns. Miller mostly played in the slot at just 5’11, but in Norvell’s offense, he was continually-schemed open by play action or with matchups against slower linebackers.
So, in Norvell’s spread offense, here is what FSU fans should expect the depth chart to look like.
WR1 (X)
Maybe the most obvious answer in this article, Tamorrion Terry is unquestionably the number one receiver heading into fall camp. After just two seasons as a starting receiver for the ‘Noles, Terry has emerged as one of the few bright spots in an otherwise depressing era for FSU.
Since 2018, Terry has caught a total of ninety-two passes for seventeen touchdowns, with an average of 20.5 yards per catch. Terry enters the 2020 season as one of the best and most athletic receivers in the country, returning to Florida State despite receiving NFL Draft grades last season. Seminole fans should be excited to see #15 (now #5) back in garnet and gold.
I could go into a breakdown of exactly what makes Terry so successful, but even a casual fan could figure that out. At 6’4, he has the ideal size for a receiver but also has fantastic straight-line speed for his size. We can see a great example here against Clemson
Terry not only adjusts on a poorly thrown slant by coming back to the ball but then, even with a defender having an angle, take it in for a touchdown. There are things Terry does need to work on: his route running is not always great, and his effort has been questionable at times. But, his athleticism, speed, and overall talent with the ball in the air make Terry a collegiate star and surefire draft pick. FSU fans should enjoy his (most likely) last season in Tallahassee.
Behind Terry sit a whole lot of unproven players. Freshman Kentron Poitier and sophomore Warren Thompson will both compete for reps behind Terry. Poitier hails from Miami Palmetto and was a high-three star in the Seminole 2020 class. He has good size, standing at 6’3, and has great athleticism. While it is likely he redshirts, it would not be surprising if Poitier got a few reps in games this season, as long as he stays under the limit.
Thompson is a different story. He’s flashed obvious talent in limited playing time, but after a great performance against Boise State, he did not see much action throughout the rest of the year. After some drama with the previous coaching staff, look for Thompson to have a breakout year in 2020.
Plays like these against Boise, where Thompson runs a great deep post against man coverage and then makes a great catch, is something that hopefully FSU fans can expect from Thompson this year.
WR (Z)
Starting on the opposite side of Terry sits another returner, Ontaria Wilson. Wilson replaced Keith Gavin last year lining up opposite of Terry before an injury cost him much of the season. Wilson was a relative unknown heading into last season, but reports out of practice last year indicated that Wilson had been performing well.
While not targeted as much as Terry or other receivers, Wilson was a steady, reliable player for the ‘Nole last year. He caught 21 passes for over two hundred yards and a touchdown, which he scored against NCST last year with a killer double move.
Don’t expect Wilson to put up gaudy stats this season, as he’ll likely be the third or fourth option on most passing plays. However, his reliability, along with improved blocking that we saw last year, makes Wilson an important piece on the 2020 offense.
Behind Wilson, expect Poitier to get reps at this spot, as well as DJ Matthews, who we’ll touch on later in the article. While Matthews is primarily in the slot, he did receive touches on the outside at times last year.
Another receiver to keep an eye on is Bryan Robinson, the four-star receiver from Palm Beach Central. Robinson was a good pickup for the staff and brings decent size at 6’1 with great athleticism and speed to go along with it. Robinson could also get reps at slot, but I expect to see him back up Wilson for the most part.
Slot (H and Y)
The spot with the most depth for Florida State’s receiving core is the slot position. Not only does longtime starter DJ Matthews return for his senior season, but so does Keyshawn Helton off an injury, and sophomore Jordan Young, who has flashed talent in practice. Here, it seems with the lack of a reliable tight end after the departure of Tre’ McKitty, expect FSU to run a lot of ‘doubles’ with two receivers in the slot on each side. The responsibilities of H and Y will shift depending on the formation, but when in the slot, expect to see one of these faces (and maybe Camren McDonald, who you can read about here).
The obvious candidate to receive the most touches here is Matthews, who has flashed brilliance throughout his career, and then suddenly disappeared as a part of the offense. Last season, Matthews caught 36 balls for three touchdowns and 355 yards, much of which came out of the slot. At 5’10 with a great catch radius and great acceleration, Matthews is a dynamic player in open space, as he showed in his game-clinching run against Boston College last year.
Matthews is the type of player who can change the game on just one play, as he’s demonstrated multiple times. The issue is consistency; if Matthews can consistently get open and run the correct routes, he’s due for a breakout season.
Behind Matthews sits Helton, heading into his junior season at FSU. Helton started off last season on fire, scoring three touchdowns on 17 receptions, while also providing a spark in the return game. However, his knee injury does raise concerns about the likelihood of a proper return to form; as we saw with Derwin James two years ago, it can take a while
If he does return at full strength, Helton is due for a big year. He has great acceleration and hands, along with keen route running. Expect Helton to be a force this season in the slot.
Jordan Young is the last contender to receive significant snaps at slot receiver, although expect him to get playing time on the outside as well. Young has impressive size at 6’3, and in limited playing time last season reeled in four catches. Young has freaky athleticism and excellent speed, so fans should be excited to see him get more playing time this year with the departure of Keith Gavin. Young needs to prove himself a reliable blocker, but his athleticism speaks for himself, and he might be the most talented receiver of the roster if he puts everything together.
Finally, at slot, we have Ja’Khi Douglas, the three-star freshman who has the build of a running back but will play receiver for the ‘Noles. At 5’9, Douglas is a bit small but is roughly the same size as Helton. Douglas is talented, but do not expect him to receive a ton of playing time as a freshman on offense; however, his speed does warrant playing time on special teams.