Linebacker
When the defense is led in tackles by your two safeties and a defensive tackle, you know your linebackers need a major upgrade. Blake Nichelson tied Juice Cryer with 43 tackles, which is the highest number for all FSU linebackers. Nichelson had better production in one fewer game in 2024.
Nichelson was second on the team with 6.5 tackles for a loss, and Cryer had five. However, FSU linebackers routinely failed to fill gaps, took poor angles, tried to run around blocks, missed tackles, and were poor in coverage.
Some FSU fans argue they aren’t athletic enough, but even more so, their situational awareness was poor. They looked poorly coached all season, and routinely played soft. They should have had much better production behind Darrell Jackson and the other defensive tackles.
FSU needs to hire a new linebackers coach(they kind of have one on staff as an analyst already), and they need to continue improving that unit with talent. They look to sign one of the top linebackers in the 2026 class in a few days. That will help, but they may need to grab one or two guys from the portal.
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