Florida State entered fall camp with very few injuries ailing its retooled roster and had seemingly navigated much of the preseason process unscathed. However, that changed on Tuesday night when transfer defensive back Karson Hobbs announced that he suffered a torn ACL, which will keep him out for the year.
Duke transfer Ma’Khi Jones was the presumptive starter at nickel, and that position is likely solidified now that Hobbs will be out. Now, the question becomes: who will slide in behind Jones on the depth chart with Hobbs out?
The 6-foot-1, 189-pound Cincinnati, Ohio native started just one game over his first two seasons at Notre Dame, but figured to provide defensive coordinator Tony White with some important depth in the secondary, particularly in the slot. Hobbs logged 106 total defensive snaps last season, 85 of which came in the slot for the Fighting Irish.
Karson Hobbs’ injury is the first test for Tony White in 2026
Assuming Jones stays healthy for the entire season, he’ll log the overwhelming majority of the snaps at nickel. However, he played just 56 of his 215 snaps last season at Duke in the slot, so he’s not a natural nickel player; he's more of a safety who can walk down closer to the line of scrimmage and make plays in coverage while impacting the run game.
Behind Jones, and when White goes to a dime package with six defensive backs on the field, however, he’ll almost certainly be forced to walk another safety into the slot or slide an outside cornerback inside.
It appears that Quindarrius Jones is the leader for an underrated CB2 battle opposite Ja’Bril Rawls in fall camp. He’s coming off a season-ending injury, so his strong play in fall camp is a clear positive development for the defense. It also provides some flexibility with South Alabama transfer Nehemiah Chandler and returning junior Charles Lester III.
The problem is, Chandler and Lester are both true outside corners. Last season, Chandler played 565 of his 608 snaps on the outside. Lester played 78 of his 90 snaps on the outside, and for what it’s worth, Jones didn’t play a single snap in the slot while Rawls slid inside only once.
The options at safety aren’t quite as thin. Strong safety starter Ashlynd Barker played quite a bit in the slot last season with Earl Little Jr. and Edwin Joseph. He could potentially slide back to the nickel with CJ Richard, KJ Kirkland, or even four-star true freshman Tre Bell III taking snaps at safety. Kirkland and Jarvis Boatwright Jr. are also options in the slot.
On Wednesday, Norvell also named junior Ricky Knight III as "a guy that is pushing" for snaps in the slot.
There isn’t a natural fit for White, especially if Jones goes down. So, it’ll be a significant test for the second-year defensive coordinator, who has total ownership of that side of the ball, especially with Mike Norvell reclaiming his offensive play-calling duties for 2026.
White left Nebraska to help lead a bounce-back in Tallahassee, and after last season, the growing head coaching buzz that had surrounded him began to wane. If he can make a major Year 2 improvement and solve this problem and the many others that will inevitably arise in the process, it could reignite those talks, or even position him to take over in Tallahassee on an interim basis if Norvell fails to save his job.
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