Florida State is beginning its spring practices on Monday, March 9th, so the clock is ticking before the opener kicks off against Saturday, August 29th. It might seem like a long way away, but there are only twenty-five Saturdays before Doak Campbell Stadium will be rocking again.
Defensive coordinator Tony White had the highest of highs as his unit put up a masterful performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide in last year's opener. However, the negative is that this defense didn't perform up to expectations when the team needed it the most in a rivalry game against the Florida Gators.
Coach White is hoping for a bounce-back year for his defense, as they enter a second season of acclimating to the 3-3-5 defensive scheme. With spring practices right around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to share the projected defensive depth chart (click here for the offensive side of the football).
Defensive end
1. Darryll Desir
1B. Rylan Kennedy
2A. Deamontae Diggs
Defensive tackle
1. Daniel Lyons
2. Deante McCray
Nose tackle
1. Jordan Sanders
1B. Kevin Wynn
Big defensive end
1. Mandrell Desir
2. Jalen Anderson
Linebacker
1. Chris Jones
1B. Mikai Gbayor
1C. Blake Nichelson
2. Omar Graham Jr.
2B. Caleb LaVallee
2C. Izayia Williams
Cornerback
1. Ja'Bril Rawls
1B. Nehemiah Chandler
2. Quindarrius Jones
2B. Charles Lester III
Rover
1. Ashlynd Barker
2. Tre Bell III
Field safety
1. Ma'Khi Jones
2. Karson Hobbs
Boundary safety
1. CJ Richard Jr.
2. KJ Kirkland
Analysis for projected depth chart
This defense is built around the youngsters Mandrell and Darryll Desir. The Seminoles paid a pretty penny to retain them on the roster after they intended to enter the transfer portal. Defensive coordinator Tony White is hoping that the players improve in their knowledge of the scheme and break out in the second year.
The secondary could be one of the better units in the conference with Ja'Bril Rawls and Ashlynd Barker returning to the roster. One advantage is having linebacker transfer Chris Jones with so much experience. This pickup could be beneficial against opposing teams that like to run the football.
This might not be a top-15 defensive unit, but it has enough young talent to shut down opposing offenses in the conference.