Florida State wrapped up its spring camp on Wednesday, and there were several positives to take away from the last few weeks. They are relatively healthy, which hasn’t been the norm, and the quarterback competition will continue(no sense in naming a starter now, as that keeps the competition going and nobody relaxes).
Some young players appear to be making strides to become contributors, and FSU has some proven guys, especially on offense at the skill positions. Despite that positivity, there are some concerns exiting spring camp. Let’s take a look at five of them here: Â
Will Florida State have a legitmate pass rush?
We’ve heard two names, Rylan Kennedy and Jalen Anderson, off the edge, but there seem to be some consistency issues there, which isn’t surprising. Also, both seem to depend on speed to get into the backfield, which feels very boom or bust. Florida State has several young defensive ends, but it doesn’t appear they are close to becoming contributors in year one.
How will Florida State hold up against the run?
Another reason I mention Kennedy and Anderson, depending on speed to get to the quarterback, is that they are not huge individuals. Florida State has the Desir twins, Daniel Lyons, and a couple of others with limited reps. However, Florida State struggled to set the edge last year and got gashed on the ground at times. Tony White should improve his coordinator in year two, but if they don’t have the horses to stop the run, there isn’t too much he can do to overcome it.
How much depth does Florida State have?
They have some proven production at running back and wide receiver. Not so much at tight end, quarterback, defensive end, and the secondary. FSU has been solid among the first 22, but the fall off after the starters are out has been drastic. FSU could be in a similar state this year unless several guys emerge over the summer and fall.
Special Teams
Special teams were not great last year. The punting wasn’t great, and Florida State’s punt return game was a liability. Its kickoff return game didn’t yield too much, and the field goal kicking wasn’t consistently good. FSU has a new special teams coordinator, and there are new faces all across the board in these units. However, we haven’t heard much on their progress, and trying freshmen at punt returner doesn’t make me feel great since they will be inexperienced if they get trotted out there.
Leadership
My colleague hinted at this earlier this week when FSU defensive coordinator Tony White spoke about it needing to be a player led team. Mike Norvell mentioned it too, and it makes sense at this stage with so many new players. FSU has some proven leaders like Duce Robinson and Jabril Rawls, but do they have enough to right the ship when things don’t go their way? Is this team full of guys playing for themselves, or for one another? We still have some time to impact that, but it’s something I’ll be watching closely.
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