FSU Football: Five Things to Expect More Of in 2017

In exactly one month, Florida State will be taking on Alabama in one of the most anticipated openers ever.

As with any new season from the previous, there will be some key changes that take place over the course of the new campaign. Here’s a look at five things to expect more of from the Seminoles in 2017:

1. Carries Spread Around
With all-time leading rusher Dalvin Cook off to the NFL, expect Florida State to revert to its multi-back offense in 2017. Junior Jacques Patrick, who was named the starter going into camp, will likely play a big role, but he won’t be alone. 5-star freshmen Cam Akers and Khalan Laborn are each expected to compete for reps. Akers led all players in yards from scrimmage during the FSU spring game. Another youngster that FSU is also very high on is sophomore Amir Rasul, a 200-pound speed back from Miami.

2. Shots Downfield
With a bigger wide receiving corps in 2017, expect FSU quarterback Deondre Francois to take more shots downfield this season. The Seminoles had a solid corps of wide receivers last season, but players like Jesus Wilson and Kermit Whitfield, who are each shorter than 6-feet, made it hard to throw 50/50 balls deep. Last season, the Seminoles only completed three passes of at least 50 yards after completing four the year before and six the year prior. With big bodies like Keith Gavin and George Campbell joining Auden Tate and the speedy Nyqwan Murray, expect Francois to give his big targets a chance.

3. Multiple Tight End Sets
Speaking of big bodies, expect Florida State to use its tight ends more in the passing game in 2017. The combination of Ryan Izzo and Mavin Saunders, who each stand at 6-5, were productive a season ago, combining for 29 catches for 409 yards and a touchdown. With only five scholarship receivers returning, it’s likely that FSU will get more use out of its tight ends in 2017. With each standing at 6-5, neither really have to get much separation to be open. With only two of the five scholarship receivers having contributed for the Seminoles, expect the tight ends to be use in many ways from in-line to spread out to being used a run-blockers.

4. Blitzes from Defensive Backs
With Derwin James back in the lineup, expect to see defensive coordinator Charles Kelly sending more defensive backs toward the quarterback instead of just trying to pick him off. The Seminoles got just one sack from defensive backs last season and that came from safety A.J. Westbrook. With James back, expect the redshirt sophomore to do a lot of blitzing himself after recording 4.5 sacks as a freshman in 2015. Even if FSU sends other secondary players toward the quarterback, having James back there still reduces the amount of open field in the defensive backfield.

5. Consistency from Ricky Aguayo
As a freshman last season, Ricky Aguayo’s career could not have gotten off to a much better start. In the season opener against Ole Miss, Aguayo was a perfect 6-for-6, which set a school-record for makes in one game with three coming from beyond 40 yards. For the remainder of the year, Aguayo was 13-for-20 and just 3-for-9 from 40 yards away or more. While he went 6-for-6 against Ole Miss, Aguayo was 0-for-3 in a 2-point loss to North Carolina and 1-for-3 in a win over Florida. Aguayo’s freshman numbers as a whole aren’t much different than that of Dustin Hopkins, who would go on to earn All-American honors. With a year under his belt, expect Aguayo to become a more consistent field goal kicker.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson