Your Thoughts Thursday: Marvin Wilson Will be FSU’s Defensive MVP in 2019

A month and a half roughly separate us from the start of college football season.

Florida State will look to bounce back from its worst season since 1975 after a 5-7 finish last season. The defense will look to bounce back after allowing more points per game than ever before in program history.

In this week’s The Daily Nole Poll, we asked our readers which FSU player will be the defensive MVP for the Seminoles in 2019. The biggest player listed received half the votes.

Defensive tackle Marvin Wilson, a junior, received 50 percent of the vote. He was followed by Jaiden Lars-Woodbey at 29 percent. A Freshman All-American last season, the safety finished with 58 tackles, 4.5 for loss, one sack and a forced fumble while playing largely out of position at linebacker.

Earning 13 percent of the vote was linebacker Dontavious Jackson, who recorded 75 tackles and is the team’s returning leader in tackles for loss with seven a season ago. Levonta Taylor, a senior cornerback, earned just 8 percent after a disappointing junior year. Taylor battled a stress fracture but recorded a 63-yard interception return for a touchdown to seal a 36-26 victory over Samford last season.

Other submissions were for defensive tackle Robert Cooper and last season’s leading tackler, Hamsah Nasirildeen.

Our Take
As usual, our readers got it right. Marvin Wilson will be Florida State’s defensive MVP in 2019.

Wilson likely won’t put up gaudy numbers, because of his position, but he will be the most important and most valuable member of the defense for all the attention he draws. Last season, Wilson ranked second on the team with 3.5 sacks while adding 42 tackles and 4.5 for loss.

At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Wilson is an extremely gifted athlete who can stuff the run or get after the quarterback. Stats will certainly play a factor, but when all is said and done in 2019, Wilson could earn All-American honors.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.