FSU football: Top 10 bold predictions for 2020 season

By Kelvin Hunt | Sep 5, 2020

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 26: Defensive Tackle Marvin Wilson #21 of the Florida State Seminoles during the game against the Syracuse Orange at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 26, 2019 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Orange 35 to 17. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Emmett Rice will lead the team in tackles

This honor has gone to safety Hamsah Nasirildeen the past two seasons, but some don’t expect him to be available when the season starts.

Nasirildeen is a good player, but the safety leading the team in tackles usually means teams are averaging well over five yards per play since he’s the last line of defense in most cases.

I expect the linebackers to be much-improved over the past few seasons, and Emmett Rice began to emerge in the second half of the season to finish second on the team with 72 tackles.

Rice only had 16 tackles through the first six games, but never had less than five tackles in the remaining seven games, including six games with seven or more tackles.

If Rice can make the tackle before players get to the secondary, that’s going to decrease the opportunities for Nasirildeen.

One thing that does concern me regarding this prediction is Rice’s inability to stay healthy throughout his career. However, he managed to play in all 13 games last season, so let’s hope the injury God’s are good to him once again.

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