Spring practice will come to an end on Saturday as Florida State will hold its annual spring game. Last year’s contest in Orlando resulted in a 24-24 tie.
This year’s intrasquad game returns to Doak Campbell Stadium and takes place at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday on ESPN. There are a number of things to pay attention to. Here’s where to keep eyes on the defensive side of the ball:
1. Early Enrollees
There are early enrollees on both sides of the ball for Florida State this spring — three on offense and four on defense. The ones on the defensive side of the ball however, look to stand the best chance to make an immediate impact. Joshua Kaindoh, a defensive end, is a candidate to potentially start on the strong side with All-American DeMarcus Walker off to the NFL. Stanford Samuels III should mesh nicely with a solid corps of young defensive backs while junior college transfer Adonis Thomas is expected to make an immediate impact.
2. Strongside Defensive Ends
While the FSU offense replaces Dalvin Cook, the defense will look to do likewise with the school’s No. 3 all-time sack man, DeMarcus Walker. The likely solution will be Josh Sweat, who has played the “BUCK” position for Charles Kelly’s defense over the past two years. Even if Sweat moves over, the Seminoles will need to find depth behind him. Kaindoh is a candidate to provide that, but so are Janarius Robinson, Keith Bryant and converted tight end Jalen Wilkerson. Defensive tackle Wally Aime also might be athletic enough to fill that void.
3. Linebackers
Seniors Matthew Thomas and Ro’Derrick Hoskins are again expected to start at linebacker, but for the first time in a long time, FSU has depth at the position. Adonis Thomas, a early enrollee from junior college, and sophomore Dontavious Jackson are two players expected to play this year, but redshirt junior Delvin Purifoy, redshirt sophomore Sh’Mar Kilby-Lane and sophomores Josh Brown and Emmett Rice are also likely to push for reps. Jacob Pugh, a senior, will see a lot of the field as well, but he’ll likely be used as a pass-rusher from the “BUCK” position.
4. Young Cornerbacks
With juniors Tarvarus McFadden and Marcus Lewis each missing the spring, Saturday’s spring game will spotlight a number of young, talented cornerbacks who are vying for playing time and starting spots. Samuels getting thrown into the mix will be a nice little wrinkle for a position that includes true sophomores Levonta Taylor, Carlos Becker and Kyle Meyers. If iron sharpens iron, this position group should be awfully sharp when fall rolls around.
5. The Return of Derwin James
After missing all but two games last season with a knee injury, Florida State will have its do-everything safety back in the lineup. As a freshman in 2015, James finished either first, second or third on the team in virtually every major category, including solo tackles, total tackles, stops for loss, sacks and forced fumbles. Now a redshirt sophomore, James first showed fans how special he could be during the spring game two years ago when he returned a Sean Maguire interception for a touchdown on the opening series.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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