FSU football: OL Andre Otto and Jaylen Early projected to start at guard positions

Florida State football will be playing their Friday night road matchup versus Duke. We already discussed in a previous article that the Seminoles are currently listed as three-point underdogs, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Seminoles are trying to get on the right track as they currently have a 1-5 record. This is not where Florida State wants to be as they had preseason expectations of being in the ACC Championship Game again and in contention for the College Football Playoff.

A lot can change to alter those plans as fans have wanting to hit the reset button in head football coach Mike Norvell's fifth season in Tallahassee. Nonetheless, individuals are now wanting to see a youth movement within the program.

Players are even posting on social media "#FreeThemYoungins". This is a direct correlation to how the team feels about the status of the season.

Florida State football dropped their projected depth chart versus Duke on Monday morning/afternoon.

I do realize that head football coach Mike Norvell stated that the projected depth chart do not matter as much as some individuals are making it out to be. However, it is interesting that redshirt freshman Andre Otto is projected to start at left guard.

I have been a big supporter of inserting the former three-star prospect into the starting lineup. The Seminoles' offensive line is filled with veterans who have played a ton of football. However, those contributors have vastly underperformed this season.

As a result, I think placing Otto at left guard is the right move with Keiondre Jones and TJ Ferguson struggling at this time. Even though the redshirt freshman got pancaked on a block where he was put on his back, I would rather take the good with the bad in this disaster of a season for the betterment of his future development.

It is also interesting that the coaching staff has redshirt freshman Jaylen Early at right guard. They previously had him at right tackle. Early has had some really good moments in pass protection and run blocking. The former four-star prospect looks like he could be a starter in 2025 if he keeps progressing well.

Overall, I like that the offensive line is getting a much-needed change to get other contributors involved.