The last two FSU wins have come against offenses that struggle to complete forward passes. That won’t be the case over the next two road games against NC State and Florida, and FSU will be without its best defensive back, Ja’Bril Rawls.
Rawls missed the Virginia Tech game on Saturday night after re-injuring a previous injury against Clemson. He also missed the Stanford game and another contest. Rawls has appeared in seven contests this season and is second on the team with 40 tackles.
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His PFF grade is 72.3, solid in coverage, while playing with physicality in the run game. FSU only has two regular-season games remaining, but Rawls was one of the few bright spots on the FSU defense, often setting the tone with his physicality that rubbed off on other players.
The injury appeared to be something with his shoulder, which is better than a lower leg injury for a defensive back. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining, but is a player the coaching staff can point to that’s been developed from the high school ranks as a former three-star without a ton of huge offers.
Freshman Shemar Arnoux got the start in his absence and played decently against Virginia Tech. He also played solid against Clemson. However, NC State has a better offense than both teams, and a quarterback that can hurt defenses with his arm and legs.
The injury sucks for Rawls, but it could provide a glimpse at a future starter in Arnoux for the 2026 season. Other players like Charles Lester and Cai Bates could see more playing time as a result of the injury as well.