FSU football is still trying to find its identity in the Mike Norvell era. Let’s discuss Khalan Laborn expected removal from the roster.
FSU football head coach Mike Norvell has made it clear there’s a standard to be held in Tallahassee.
The coaches and players have be evaluated daily to see if they are meeting the standard and his vision for the program.
According to multiple reports, junior running back Khalan Laborn is expected to be “removed” from the program.
There have not been many details to leak from what happened, but hearing the word “removed” lets you know something went down.
It’s not like it was reported Lytton decided to put his name in the transfer portal. The way a few of the players reacted on social media implied there was some sort of event, but we’ll get to their reaction soon enough.
The former five-star recruit was the No. 29 ranked player overall and No. 1 ranked all-purpose running back in the nation in the 2017 recruiting cycle.
However, he never established himself as a starter due to injuries and off-the-field issues. He appeared in 12 games with 63 carries for 297 yards and four touchdowns. He had 11 receptions for 103 yards and three kickoff returns for 64 yards in his FSU football career.
The good news is his removal comes at one of the deepest and most talented positions on the team. The bad news is the unit doesn’t have much experience at all, but it’s not like Laborn had a ton to bring to the table himself.
Let’s look at how his removal impacts things moving forward.
Depth Shouldn’t Be A Concern
Mike Norvell and staff knew the running back position needed more depth after Cam Akers entered the NFL Draft and became a second-round pick.
They’ve addressed the position by adding Texas A&M transfer Jashuan Corbin, JUCO running back La’Damian Webb, and four-star true freshman Lawrance Toafili into the fold.
They’ll use slot receivers like four-star true freshman Ja’Khi Douglas and three-star speedster, Corey Wren, out of the backfield as well. The Noles also have some talented walk-on players that played in the Sun Bowl to help with depth.
Mike Norvell typically has 1-2 players he’ll lean on heavily to carry most of the load in the running game. I’ve always expected Corbin to be the No. 1 guy with Laborn and Webb vying for the No. 2 spot.
The exit of Laborn means we’ll likely see a mixture of slot receivers with a dash of Toafili in there at certain points.
The loss of Laborn is more about the potential of what he could have brought opposed to what’s actually lost.
Recruiting
The Noles could have potentially lost Jashaun Corbin and Khalan Laborn to the NFL Draft after the 2020 season.
They were expected to take 1-2 running backs in the 2021 recruiting class and seem to be in good standing with a few blue-chip prospects.
The removeal of Laborn now clears an easier path to running backs looking to join the program next year, especially if Corbin has a big season as expected, and elects to head to the NFL.
They’ll have Webb and Toafili to contend with in regards to playing time which should be attractive considering Norvell likes to use running backs in different capacities.
Some FSU football fans saw the news and felt it was a bad thing to see Laborn removed. I can understand the sentiment, but overall its a positive and not entirely surprising given his history. Hopefully, he’ll be able to put it together somewhere and make the most of his next opportunity.