FSU football: Grading our top 10 bold predictions for 2021 season
By Kelvin Hunt
Brendan Gant will lead the team in tackles
"This honor went to Amari Gainer last year even though he wasn’t on the field all the time because the coaching staff couldn’t find the perfect position for him. Gainer is now at inside linebacker, closer to the line of scrimmage, which is something he’s still trying to get used to. I suspect he’ll be up there among the team leaders in tackles, but I’m going to go out on a limb here with Brendan Gant. Gant lists as the starter at the BUCK position, which is a player in the secondary that has responsibilities in the passing and run game. This position is the same one Hamsah Nasirildeen played so well during his time at FSU. Nasirildeen also led the team in tackles in 2018 and 2019 before missing most of 2020 with an injury. Gant is solid and has a nose for the ball while looking to lay the WOOD to opposing ball carriers. I suspect teams will look to exploit the FSU linebackers again in the passing game, which puts Gant in the midst to make a lot of plays. Gant was fourth on the team with 32 tackles in 2020 while appearing in all nine games. Maybe he’ll take that next step in 2021?"
If there was ever one I wish I could take back? This one would take the cake. My rationale wasn’t far off as safety Jammie Robinson led the team in tackles with 84. The defense took off once he moved to that position permanently after playing several positions in the first few games.
Gant saw his snaps decrease significantly, especially since he couldn’t abstain from committing personal foul penalties every game. It looks like his days of playing safety are over, and he’s moving to linebacker.