FSU football: Defensive lineman Dennis Briggs Jr. out versus Wake Forest

FSU head football coach Mike Norvell met with the media on Tuesday afternoon.

The Seminoles are fresh off a 38-20 home victory versus the Duke Blue Devils and riding with a ton of momentum as they go on the road this Saturday in a sleepy noon kickoff against Wake Forest (a team who has beaten Florida State three straight times).

The Seminoles have been able to escape from the injury bug for the most part. However, Norvell had some unfortunate news to share as he stated that redshirt senior defensive lineman Dennis Briggs Jr. will be out this week for their matchup against Wake Forest (and possibly out for even longer period of time).

Briggs Jr. has been a solid rotational piece for the Seminoles this season as he has recorded 11 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Unfortunately, the veteran defender has been hampered by injuries during his time in Tallahassee. Most notably, his season-ending lower-body injury that he suffered against Louisville in 2021 (the dreaded chop block…).

Nonetheless, the Seminoles are relatively deep at the defensive tackle position as they have redshirt senior Fabien Lovett Sr., redshirt senior Braden Fiske, redshirt junior Malcolm Ray,  junior Darrell Jackson Jr. (when the NCAA finally gives him a waiver), and redshirt sophomore Joshua Farmer in the rotation.

It is also worth mentioning that Florida State also has ultra-talented pass rushers in Jared Verse and Patrick Payton on its defensive line. However, the coaching staff has always liked the versatility of Dennis Briggs Jr. since he can play both defensive tackle and defensive end.

While the Seminoles have depth at the defensive line position, the defensive unit will likely miss Briggs Jr’s veteran leadership. FSU will look to handle its business in their first road game since they defeated the Clemson Tigers by a score of 31-24 in overtime.