The 2018 season isn’t off to the best start for Florida State. The Seminoles were held without a touchdown in the season opener against Virginia Tech before having to rally to beat FCS Samford on Saturday, 36-26.
Through the early disappointments, FSU has had pleasant surprises. Here’s a look at five players who have performed well early in 2018:
Tre’ McKitty, TE
One of the heroes of Saturday’s comeback win over Samford was Tre’ McKitty, who caught his first and the game-winning touchdown. After recording just one catch as a freshman in 2017, McKitty has 10 catches through two games — one fewer than team leader Nyqwan Murray. McKitty’s 84 receiving yards also trails only Murray’s 115 for tops on the team.
Brady Scott, T
There haven’t been many bright spots for Florida State along the offensive line, but in limited time, redshirt freshman Brady Scott has actually played well. Scott was a late replacement into Saturday’s contest against Samford and on the final drive, was part of an offensive line that didn’t allow a pressure and actually opened up some running lanes.
Cory Durden, DT
Redshirt freshman Cory Durden quieted a bit against Samford, but was a force to be reckoned with in the opener against Virginia Tech. For the season, Durden has three tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Those last two numbers rank second and third, respectively, on the team for the season.
Kyle Meyers, CB
Levonta Taylor saved the day for Florida State on Saturday night against Samford, but through two games, junior Kyle Meyers has arguably been FSU’s best defensive player. Meyers has a team-high three interceptions, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble early on. With an influx of young corners and the emergence Stanford Samuels III last season, there were questions about how big of a role Meyers would have this season.
Hamsah Nasirildeen, S
Sophomore safety Hamsah Nasirildeen was expected to make strides this season, but through two games, few probably had him penciled in as the ACC’s leading tackler. After recording 29 tackles as a freshman last season, Nasirildeen already has 23 tackles this season. That’s more than FSU’s next two tacklers — Jaiden Woodbey and A.J. Westbrook — combined. 16 of the 23 stops have been solo tackles.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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