FSU football: Major takeaways from ‘Noles depth chart for LSU

FSU football coaches released the depth chart for the LSU game Monday morning. The coaches have repeatedly discussed how competitive the fall practices have been.

There were very few jobs locked up before fall camp began a few weeks ago. Most people knew the roles of Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Johnny Wilson, Tatum Bethune, Kalen DeLoach, and a few others.

However, FSU brought in some talented guys from the transfer portal, who most expected would fighting for a starting spot. I think most question marks revolved around the offensive and defensive lines and special teams.

However, the coaches hit us with a few surprises as well:

Jordan Travis as the starting QB is a no-brainer. It’s the same with Trey Benson, but seeing Caziah Holmes as the backup to Benson gives credence to what we’ve been hearing in practice regarding Holmes looking good. Johnny Wilson, Destyn Hill, and Keon Coleman as the starting wide receivers?

There’s an “OR” there with Hill and Winston Wright Jr., but seeing Hill there is surreal based on what he’s gone through. Kyle Morlock over Markeston Douglas is another surprise. The offensive line is about what I thought, though Jeremiah Byers over Bless Harris(even though it’s an “OR” surprised me a bit).

Takeaways Continued

The defensive line was what I thought it would be, but interesting to see Lovett and Farmer with an “OR” designation. Byron Turner Jr. and Gilber Edmond as the two backups at defensive end fits what I thought. Kalen DeLoach with an “OR” with DJ Lundy at linebacker caught my attention.

Mike Norvell said Lundy was the most improved linebacker on the team recently. Freshman linebacker Blake Nichelson on the two-deep is good to see. Jarrian Jones at the nickel position supports the sentiment he improved immensely and had a strong fall camp.

Fentrell Cypress, Renardo Green, Shyheim Brown, and Akeem Dent in the secondary makes sense. However, the amount of freshmen on the two-deep lets you know all the talk about how well they performed in fall camp wasn’t all talk.

I love what they did at kick returner. All of those guys have electric ability. Keon Coleman as punt returner, with Lawrance Toafili as the backup, was a little surprising.

I thought someone like Destyn Hill might seize that backup role. I wasn’t surprised to see Ryan Fitzgerald take the field goal kicking spot since he has experience. Alex Mastromanno is solid.

Parting Thoughts

I believe the majority of these jobs will likely remain the same, but we have to remember the depth chart changes each week.

FSU coaches constantly evaluate the players, and starting in week one is no guarantee to start the rest of the year.

Also, unfortunately, injuries often take place to alter things. They may change some things based on the matchups with each team.

However, looking at the depth chart, a lot of things become apparent. FSU has a lot of talent and depth on the roster.

It’s something I’ve been touting for a while, but seeing an actual depth chart helps paint the picture clearly. I’ll be curious to see just how many freshmen actually play against LSU Sunday night.