Reasons for optimism for Florida State as it pertains to 2017 are many. Freshman running back Cam Akers looked as good as advertised in the spring game, safety Derwin James appears to have returned to form, Deondre Francois has a year under his belt at quarterback and the Seminoles are deep on defense.
For two 2016 starters who missed the spring with hip injuries however, things could get murky. Those two players are cornerback Marcus Lewis and center Alec Eberle.
Lewis was one of the real standouts during the spring of 2016, excelling as a cornerback on the outside. During the regular season however, Lewis struggled in the “STAR” role for FSU, particularly in the Oct. 1 loss to North Carolina. As a sophomore in 2016, Lewis finished with 21 tackles, one for loss, a fumble recovery and an interception.
Lewis missed the final five games of the 2016 season and in his absence, younger players like Carlos Becker, Kyle Meyers and Levonta Taylor emerged. With the youngsters getting extended time and having the whole spring to improve, Lewis’ time as a contributor is in question. Complicating things is that freshman Stanford Samuels III enrolled early and played very well in last month’s spring game.
If Eberle can recover, he may stand a better chance of getting onto the field, but that is far from a given. Eberle was maligned for much of an inconsistent 2016 campaign. During FSU’s spring game, redshirt freshman Baveon Johnson had some very strong moments and has made himself a real contender to win the starting center job.
Johnson has worked himself into shape and is a much better athlete than Eberle despite outweighing him by about 30 pounds. Andrew Boselli and Corey Martinez are two other players pushing for time at center. After ousting Martinez and Ryan Hoefeld for the starting spot late in 2015, Eberle was one of only two offensive linemen to start every game for the Seminoles last season.
As with most positions in football, the hips play a key role for defensive backs and offensive linemen, making these injuries no small task to come back from. Add in the fact that when position battles have been close under head coach Jimbo Fisher, the Seminoles have tended to go with the younger player. Take all of that into account and contributing in 2017 is far from a given for either Lewis or Eberle.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
Phil Kelly/FSU athletics
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