One of the oddities of the summer media guide was the absence of a depth chart for Florida State football. It was especially frustrating because of the sheer number of camp battles going on at the time. Uncertainty at running back, wide receiver, defensive end, and safety were all being discussed throughout the offseason.
Fans do not have to wait any longer. As part of the regular Jimbo Fisher press conference on Monday, media members were given the first depth charts of the season. With just one week until the opener against Alabama, many of the questions about who would start appear to have been answered. Here is the picture from seminoles.com writer Tim Linafelt:
Observations
- Levonta Taylor appears to have locked up the starting cornerback position opposite Tarvarus McFadden. Likewise, Kyle Meyers is listed as the first stringer at the “Star” spot. Both were promising freshmen in 2016 and were expected once again to see the field plenty in 2017.
- Remember how we said to look out for Stanford Samuels III as a potential contributor? He’s listed as the second string cornerback behind McFadden. That’s especially encouraging if he’s already that far along in his development.
- Fisher confirmed Monday that A.J. Westbrook will be the starting strong safety in the first half of the Alabama game. Trey Marshall is suspended for the first two quarters due to his targeting penalty against Michigan in the Orange Bowl.
- Khalan Laborn is nowhere to be seen at the running back spot. While depth charts like these are fluid, it’s discouraging that he hasn’t made enough of an immediate impact to get listed. He will need to work hard throughout the season to get playing time in a crowded backfield.
- Some may question why true freshman and former 5-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson is not listed. The simple answer is that he’s got veteran talent in front of him. Wilson is almost certainly going to make an impact, though it might not necessarily be early in the season.
- Matthew Thomas is still listed as the starter at weakside linebacker. Fisher said that he expects Thomas to practice Monday, so it appears that the situation with him has been resolved.
- The starting offensive line (if this depth chart is true) would be Derrick Kelly, Landon Dickerson, Alec Eberle, Cole Minshew, and Rick Leonard. Every single one of those players has started a game in the past.
- It appears that what Fisher said previously is true: Derwin James and Tarvarus McFadden are both listed at the kick/punt returner spots. It would be very surprising if they stayed there the whole season, but it’s still a bit of a shock that the two best options at the returner position were two of the best defenders.
- Depth at the wide receiver position is perhaps the biggest red flag on the whole page. Walk-on Justin Motlow is listed as a second string player. Health will be a central topic to their success throughout the season.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login