FSU football: Top five defensive performances from 2021 season

By Kelvin Hunt | Mar 22, 2022

Nov 20, 2021; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Phil Jurkovec (5) is sacked by Florida State Seminoles defensive end Jermaine Johnson II (11) and defensive end Keir Thomas (4) during the first half at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /

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(Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

Jermaine Johnson vs. Notre Dame

Do you want to talk about a new player introducing himself to a fanbase in the most emphatic way possible? Jermaine Johnson had hype going into the 2021 season based on how he had been performing at practice.

However, his performance against Notre Dame in the season opener was a foreshadowing of things to come. He sacked Notre Dame’s Jack Coan on the third play from scrimmage, which put FSU football fans on notice, and his performance the remainder of the game endeared him to this fan base, unlike any one-year player I can remember in recent years.

Johnson finished the game with seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for a loss. He set the benchmark extremely high and continued to raise it throughout the year as we’ll see later on.

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