FSU football: Improved or not? Position rankings compared to 2022
By Kelvin Hunt
Defensive Line Much Better Than 2022
The FSU defensive line was very good when fully healthy last season. However, that depth got tested early, as Fabien Lovett and Jared Verse got hurt early in the season.
Lovett missed the majority of the season, and Verse missed the equivalent of about two games, while playing around 70 percent the rest of the time he was out there. They only played on the field together on 17 percent of FSU’s total defensive snaps last season.
Depth at defensive tackle shouldn’t be an issues (especially if Darrell Jackson receives his NCAA transfer waiver). If not, FSU can still run Lovett, Braden Fiske, Joshua Farmer, Daniel Lyons, and Malcolm Ray out there.
Redshirt freshman Ayobami Tifase is waiting in the wings too. NFL First Round talent Jared Verse, and ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year, Patrick Payton, return at the defensive end position. That’s way more proven production that what FSU had going into 2022.
Transfer Gilber Edmonds will play significant snaps, and Dennis Briggs Jr. could slide back to defensive end. Byron Turner Jr., Dante Anderson, and others could emerge as solid depth pieces.