FSU football: Top 5 standout players from 2021 season

Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles Chief Osceola holds his spear above his head before the game against the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles Chief Osceola holds his spear above his head before the game against the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2021 FSU football season fell into the expected range of outcomes for Mike Norvell and the staff, albeit on an unconventional path. The first two games of the season were polar opposites in terms of opponents and the response from the team.

An injury or two later and FSU is 0-4 and about to become the laughing stock of college football. Somehow, someway, Mike Norvell knew he had some DUDES on that 2021 team and they never stopped believing in the vision.

Almost all of those players were those Norvell recruited from the transfer portal because he knew there was a significant talent gap between FSU and its rivals. Not only that, the young players arriving on campus were not ready to be thrown into the fire, yet FSU needed to show improvement on the field as proof of concept in the recruiting world.

That meant FSU’s starting lineup could likely compete with most of the teams on the schedule, but the lack of depth would likely show up at some point if injuries began to accumulate.

Unfortunately, that’s what happened, with several players playing through injuries to give the team a chance at competing each week. Here are my top five players from the 2021 season.