The spring transfer portal window is in full swing, and FSU football fans have been monitoring who's entering the portal from FSU and which players have the potential to join the program from the portal.
Some media sites have been publishing pieces and podcasts about the biggest needs FSU needs to address from the portal. One has been defensive end/edge rushers, which has whipped some fans into a frenzy whenever guys who fit that position announce they are signing with another team.
I wouldn't be against FSU taking a productive player at the position, but I don't think it's a dire necessity, as some media pundits seem to think, for a few reasons.
Tony White's defense has a different approach than Adam Fuller's. Fuller's defenses heavily depended on having dominant defensive ends who could beat their guy one-on-one in pass-rushing situations, and strong enough to set the edge against the run. It was usually a four-man front with man-to-man coverage on the backend.
Defense ends like Jared Verse and Patrick Payton led the team in sacks and quarterback hurries. However, that won't be the case in Tony White's defense.
Ty Robinson, a defensive tackle, led Nebraska with seven sacks in 2024. They had one player with five, another with four, 3.5, two, and two, and several with one.
The 2023 Nebraska defense sack leader was a linebacker with 5.5, and another linebacker had five sacks. A defensive lineman had 4.5 and another had three, and several other players had 1-2 sacks.
Do you see the trend? Tony White's defenses are not heavily reliant on elite defensive end play. The defensive footage against Colorado in 2024 will give you video evidence:
Notice what happens on the first play in the video. It's first down and White knows Colorado likes to use the quick passing game as an extension of the running game. He has two guys with their hands in the dirt and another standing, and then walks a guy down to the line of scrimmage while simultaneously backing a guy out.
Shedeur Sanders doesn't know how many guys are rushing, but they ultimately rush four and force an incomplete pass. It's second and 10, they rush four and luckily the receiver drops the pass, though he probably is held to a five-yard gain if he catches it. It's third and 10, and it looks like Nebraska's rushing five, but one defender peels back after an initial hard step off the snap. It looks like he could have been spying on Sanders, but the pass rush gets home quickly and Colorado has to punt. Notice the defensive end and defensive tackle arrive at nearly the same time.
Later in the video (: 43-second mark), Nebraska's rushing three down linemen with a linebacker blitzing. We see them with five guys on the line of scrimmage and rushing all five (:51-second mark).
I'd encourage you to watch the entire video. It was a masterful performance against a QB who will likely go in the first round and one of the top wide receivers in college football. Colorado's offensive line was terrible, but Nebraska made them look even worse.
Here's what FSU with the front seven on defense:
- Darrell Jackson Jr. (DT)
- Deante McCray (DT)
- Daniel Lyons (DT)
- Kelvin Sampson (DT)
- Tyeland Colman (DT)
- Kevin Wynn (DT)
- D'Nas White (DT)
- Jamorie Flagg (DT)
- James Williams (DE/Edge Rusher)
- Jayson Jenkins (DE/Edge Rusher, if healthy)
- Deamonte Diggs (DE/Edge Rusher)
- Aaron Hester (DE/Edge Rusher)
- Tylon Lee (DE/Edge Rusher)
- Jaden Jones (DE/Edge Rusher)
- Omar Graham Jr. (LB)
- Juice Cryer (LB)
- Blake Nichelson (LB)
- Stefon Thompson (LB)
- Elijah Herring (LB)
- Caleb LaVallee (LB)
- Jayden Parrish (LB)
- Timir Hickman-Collins (LB)
I left off at least five other true freshmen I could have listed, but I doubt they will play significant snaps.
That's 22 defensive players in the front seven who could play significant snaps this year. There are a ton of different combinations they could use between DT/DE/LB here.
Again, it's a different, more attacking defense than Adam Fuller's, and Tony White will have the potential to create pressure from multiple places.
They are usually excellent against the run. His defenses don't generate a ton of sacks(outside the top 35 in both years at Nebraska). However, they got a sack or QB hurry on 18 percent of all pass plays in 2024, and those led to fumbles, interceptions, and incomplete passes that helped Nebraska force 17 turnovers (the same amount as the 2023 FSU defense).
This FSU defense will likely be more talented than either defense he had at Nebraska. They might feel confident in what they have and feel it's best to use those resources elsewhere, especially since players in the portal will only have a short time to get to campus, get acclimated, and learn the plays.