How FSU football became the WORST Power Four team nationally in 2024

Not Player Led and Injuries

One thing I worried about going into the season was the leadership loss from the previous year. Jordan Travis, Johnny Wilson, and Trey Benson were leaders on the offense. Jared Verse, Kalen Deloach, Renardo Green, Fabien Lovett, and Braden Fiske were leaders on the defense.

In January, I wrote about who could emerge as leaders for this 2024 team. Check for the names I didn't mention first, and that would be guys like Patrick Payton, Joshua Farmer, and Darrell Jackson.

All three guys openly flirted with the transfer portal after a 13-1 season, knowing they would be starters in 2024. That was a red flag, and I said they should let Payton enter the portal if he wanted on social media.

DJ Uiagalelei had a good season at Oregon State in 2023, but he's a quiet guy and probably didn't want to rock the boat since he just arrived at FSU. His demeanor and energy don't exude confidence, nor does it project to the guys around him. His play didn't help his cause, and guys likely would have tuned him out if he tried to hold folks accountable. FSU had new guys on the offensive line and several new guys at wide receiver.

Roydell Williams was a new guy starting at running back, and his play wasn't good enough to be vocal and hold guys accountable.

It was the perfect mixture of not having proven leadership, guys going through the motions, and some young players getting thrown in the mix and trying to learn on the job, especially at linebacker and safety.

There was no Jordan Travis or Jared Verse with the track record who could demand guys to lock in and put the work in the offseason.

Injuries have played their part in the steep dropoff. DJ Uiagalelei, Jaylen Lucas, Hykeem Williams(started the season hurt), Destyn Hill (hurt before the season), Richie Leonard, and DJ Lundy were all expected to play big roles this year. The offensive line alone has started 8-9 different combinations due to injury.