With the exception of the Orange Bowl game still to be played, another season of Florida State football is in the books. While the Seminoles will also lose some juniors who leave early for the NFL Draft and other players who will transfer for other reasons, FSU will say goodbye to a special group of seniors.
After winning a national championship as freshmen, this senior class has FSU in position for a top 10 finish. This was also the first class in FSU history to go a combined 8-0 against Florida and Miami.
As the Orange Bowl nears and their careers wind down, we’ll look back on the most prominent moments in the careers of some notable Florida State seniors. We started off our series by looking at the offensive skill players, but we now transition to the battle in the trenches and guard Kareem Are.
Because it’s hard to spotlight the top moments in the careers of offensive linemen, we’ll simply go over what Are brought to the table during his time in Tallahassee.
A native of Elmont, New York, Are arrived in Tallahassee in 2014 after being ranked the No. 1 junior college guard coming out of Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. After a redshirt year, the 6-6, 325-pound Are started eight games for the Seminoles in 2015 and helped pave the way for running back Dalvin Cook to have the greatest season for an FSU rusher in school-history. In the process, Are was named a third-team All-ACC selection by the media and an honorable mention performer by the coaches.
Are missed the season-opener against Ole Miss this season, but returned to start eight games for an offensive unit that ranks in the top 25 nationally. Are was the veteran of an offensive line that improved as the season went on. Despite missing four games this season, Are went on to garner second-team All-ACC honors from the media.
In his two years as a starter, Are not only made two All-ACC teams and helped pave the way for Cook to rewrite the FSU record books, but he helped the Seminoles reach a pair of New Year’s Six bowls. Are will conclude his career against Michigan on Dec. 30.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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