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FSU football: Top 5 standout players from 2021 season

By Kelvin Hunt

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: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports /

Jermaine Johnson

I mean, you knew who was going to be No. 1, I’m sure. It’s funny to see the opinion of some people change on Jermaine Johnson.

It was a bit of a surprise FSU football coaches got him from the transfer portal, but at the same time, he hadn’t proven much at Georgia while playing in a limited capacity. But at the same time, he was still FSU’s best defensive end the minute he stepped on campus.

What we didn’t know was if he’d morph into what FSU needed with more playing time, or if he’d continue to put up OK numbers like at UGA.

The coaching staff was high on him from the jump, but they were also high on Joshua Kaindoh the year before, and we saw what limited production he brought in 2020. However, once the season opener against Notre Dame was complete, I think we knew Jermaine Johnson would be different.

He won ACC Defensive Player of the Year, led the team with 11.5 sacks, and had 17.5 tackles for a loss.

That was the highest amount of tackles for a loss in a season since DeMarcus Walker in 2016. Johnson was a machine, playing a ton of snaps in every game and coming up with some of the biggest plays all year.

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