Column: James, McFadden Returning Kicks for FSU Isn’t a Radical Idea

At this point, All-American teams don’t mean much, but there seems to be two Florida State players on the list for pretty much every publication. Those two? Redshirt sophomore safety Derwin James and cornerback Tarvarus McFadden.

Despite missing 11 games a season ago, James was named the top player in the country by Sports Illustrated heading into 2017. McFadden was named a first-team All-American last season by Sporting News and took home the Jack Tatum Award after tying for the FBS lead in interceptions with eight.

According to reports from earlier in the week, those two will be doing more than roaming the secondary. They’ll also be fielding kicks and punts.

McFadden will handle the punt return duties while James and wide receiver Keith Gavin return kicks. This idea has some Florida State fans nervous, but when it comes to having your best players back deep on special teams, this is nothing new. Some of the most talented players in FSU history have returned kicks and punts.

Deion Sanders, who is regarded by many as the greatest defensive back of all-time, took three punts back for touchdowns during his FSU career. The most notable came in 1988 in a 24-21 win over Clemson. Without that punt return, it’s possible that “puntrooskie” never happens and it’s possible there is no streak of 14 straight top-5 finishes.

During the 1988 season, Sanders became the first of two FSU players to win the Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back. The other is Terrell Buckley, whose 12 interceptions in 1991 remains a school-record. Want to know what else Buckley did for Florida State? He returned punts.

Buckley also returned three punts for scores during his FSU career. Aside from his pick-6 against Michigan in 1991, the most memorable play from Buckley’s decorated FSU career may have been a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown against Syracuse in 1989 after pretending like he fair caught the football.

Wide receiver Peter Warrick was arguably the most dynamic offensive player in Florida State history. Like Sanders and Buckley, Warrick also excelled as a punt returner. His 90-yard punt return for a touchdown against Clemson in 1997 was the difference in a 35-28 victory.

In the final game of his FSU career, which also happened to be the Sugar Bowl for the national championship, Warrick returned a punt 59 yards for a score in a contest where the Seminoles rallied in the fourth quarter for a 46-29 victory.

Jalen Ramsey, an All-American and future top 5 NFL pick, even changed jerseys on the sideline to have the opportunity to return kicks. Like James and McFadden, Ramsey was a big defensive back. He never missed a game to injury during his time with the Seminoles.

This concept of giving your best athletes touches in the kicking game is hardly unique to Florida State. Heisman Trophy winners like Tim Brown, Barry Sanders, Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson and Reggie Bush were all used as returners. In fact, it was a big reason for each winning college football’s top individual honor.

Not only is there a precedent for dynamic players to be used on special teams, but it is an important part of the game. In fact, long kickoff returns played huge roles in each of the Seminoles’ last two bowl victories.

Had Kermit Whitfield not returned that kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against Auburn in the BCS National Championship at the end of the 2013 season, does FSU have its best season ever and win a third national championship? Without Gavin’s 66-yard return in last year’s Orange Bowl against Michigan, do the Seminoles rally to keep their streak of 10-win seasons alive? The answer to both of those questions may very well be no.

If there ever was a phase of the game where Florida State could use a boost heading into 2017, it is special teams. While the Seminoles were a middle-of-the-pack team in the ACC when it came to kickoff return average, FSU was 13th in punt return average in the conference and 77th nationally and that’s with an 89-yard return for a touchdown by Jesus Wilson mixed in.

Once Wilson went down with a season-ending foot injury, just catching punts was an adventure for Florida State. A fumbled punt against Florida in the regular season finale gave the Gators their only touchdown in a 31-13 FSU victory in Tallahassee. A muff against Michigan in the Orange Bowl set up the Wolverines at the FSU 1-yard-line.

Before we fret watching James or McFadden in the return game, keep in mind that injuries can happen in any facet of the game. James’ meniscus tear last year came on a play where he was delivering a punishing blow — not receiving one.

Rather than worry about watching a star player’s season end again to injury, take a different approach. After watching what McFadden and James can do when it comes to stopping the football when the opposing team has it, enjoy what the two talented defensive backs can do with it in their hands.

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