FSU football: Will Noles pass rush be a strength in 2020?

FSU football could feature a nasty defense in 2020 with a lot of experience returning at all three levels. The key will be its pass rush.

The FSU football defense has not finished ranked inside the SP+ top 10 final rankings since the 2017 season when they finished No. 6.

They followed up that performance with a No. 37 finish in the first year of the Willie Taggart era with defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett, and it’s been downhill ever since.

The biggest issue has been the defensive line’s inability to win create havoc at the line of scrimmage.

In other words, opposing quarterbacks have too much time in the pocket, leaving the FSU secondary vulnerable to big plays from having to cover receivers so long.

Some of the blame can be placed on poor linebacker play too, as the Noles have finished No. 66 and No. 82 in tackles for loss the last two years. However, the lack of pass rush from the defensive ends stands out. FSU has finished tied for No. 43 and No. 57 in sacks, and only managed 70 QB hurries over the past two years combined.

According to Pro Football Focus, the FSU pass rush returns the most production among returning players in terms of pressuring the QB:

Could FSU Pass Rush Be A Strength in 2020?

I think it has to be right? The Noles will play a more attacking style defense under FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.

The stats from his defense at Memphis  last year don’t lie. One thing former FSU football coach Jimbo Fisher used to preach was it’s more about getting pressure on the QB, than getting the sack.

Fuller’s defense at Memphis exemplified that as they had 36 sacks and 53 QB hurries with 97 tackles for loss (No. 21 in the nation).

For comparison, FSU’s defense only had 143 tackles for loss over the last two seasons combined.

Janarius Robinson and Joshua Kaindoh will be counted on from the defensive end positions. To be fair, Kaindoh only appeared in three games before being lost for the season with an injury. It appeared as though he was finally coming into his own before the injury.

Marvin Wilson and Cory Durden will bring pressure up the middle, and Amari Gainer began to come on towards the end of the season as he got more playing time.

I expect the linebacker play to be better in 2020, which should help too. All in all, I think we’ll see a disruptive front seven for the Noles this year.