5 Big Position Battles heading into Florida State’s second preseason scrimmage

The No. 8 Florida State football team is gearing up for its second preseason scrimmage Sunday morning, and this essentially concludes the main portion of the Seminoles’ camp.

When FSU returns to practice on Wednesday, after taking Monday and Tuesday off, the Seminoles are expected to begin installing their game plan for the Sept. 3 season opener against No. 5 LSU. What that also means is head coach Mike Norvell and his staff have to be very close to determining who will be in the starting lineup and who will be the top backups to start this season.

Norvell likely won’t reveal his two-deep depth chart until the Monday before that Florida State-LSU game, but here’s a look at five big position battles that likely will need to be decided before that happens.

Note: This doesn’t mean every other position has been decided. This is simply a look at positions where there could be more wide-open competition based on depth and experience.

Offensive Tackle

Redshirt junior Robert Scott should have the inside track on the starting left tackle spot considering he earned second-team All-ACC honors last season and he has started 29 games in Florida State’s offense over the past three seasons. But Scott did miss the spring due to an injury, and Norvell has said the Seminoles are being smart with him in terms of load management this preseason.

Assuming Scott is totally good to go against LSU, one would assume he would be in the starting lineup. That would likely leave redshirt senior Bless Harris and UTEP transfer Jeremiah Byers battling for the right tackle position. Harris was the starter early last fall before sustaining a season-ending injury, while Byers was an all-conference performer at his previous school. Redshirt freshman Julian Armella and redshirt junior Darius Washington could also be in the mix.

Slot Receiver

Based on previous production, it would stand to reason that redshirt junior Johnny Wilson and Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman will be the Seminoles’ top options out wide in 2023. Wilson is FSU’s leading returning receiver with 43 catches for 897 yards and five touchdowns last season, while Coleman caught 58 passes for 798 yards and seven scores.

But the big question is who will be in the slot when Florida State goes with a three-receiver formation.

Redshirt senior Winston Wright has a significant edge in experience from his time at West Virginia, but he hasn’t played in a game since 2021 due to an injury sustained to a car accident. Freshman Destyn Hill also hasn’t played in an organized game in over two years, but he has been praised repeatedly in camp by coaches and teammates for his quick adjustment to the college game.

Fellow freshman Vandrevius Jacobs enjoyed a great spring and has continued to make plays this preseason, and the Seminoles have several other options as well. Florida State receivers coach Ron Dugans even acknowledged Saturday that the Seminoles could go with a third big-bodied receiver in the slot, which would open things up for Kentron Poitier, Darion Williamson, Deuce Spann and others.

Defensive Tackle

With this being one of the deepest positions on the team, the only defensive tackle essentially assured of being a starter is Fabien Lovett. The redshirt senior has arguably been the Seminoles’ best interior lineman for multiple years, and as long as he is healthy and available, he almost certainly will be on the first-team defense.

After that, though, things would appear to be wide open. Western Michigan transfer Braden Fiske was a prized get out of the transfer portal, and he has turned heads all preseason. Redshirt senior Dennis Briggs has tons of experience and knows exactly what position coach Odell Haggins wants out of his linemen. Then there is highly talented redshirt freshman Joshua Farmer, who at times looks like he could become the best of the bunch. Whoever starts, Haggins said earlier this week that he will look to rotate as many as six or seven defensive tackles in games this season.

Defensive Secondary

When considering all five defensive back positions in Adam Fuller’s defense (two corners, two safeties and one nickelback), there could be more competition here than in any segment of the Florida State football team.

Greedy Vance, who took control of the nickel position in the second half of last season, might just be the only sure-fire starter in the group. Former starting nickel Kevin Knowles is working mostly at safety now, according to Fuller, and he is pushing projected starters Akeem Dent and Shyheim Brown. It wouldn’t be a total shock for Knowles to claim one of those starting roles at some point this season.

Then the two cornerback spots are likely wide open. Redshirt senior Renardo Green is a returning starter and earned Honorable Mention All-ACC honors last season, and fellow redshirt senior Jarrian Jones is a returning starter as well; he started 10 games in 2022.

Then there is Virginia transfer Fentrell Cypress, who earned second-team All-ACC honors one year ago, and highly impressive sophomore Azareye’h Thomas, who saw a great deal of playing time as a true freshman in 2022. Any combination of those four could conceivably win starting jobs, and they all will likely play extensively.

Placekicker

This is another spot that likely will remain a mystery until Norvell announces his starter the week before the LSU game, at the earliest.

Ryan Fitzgerald has started for most of the past three years, but he endured some well-publicized highs and lows in 2022. With that in mind, the Seminoles brought in East Tennessee State transfer Tyler Keltner, a Tallahassee native, to present a legitimate challenge.

Those two have been mostly solid during preseason camp, but the final two weeks of practice before the season opener will likely determine who wins the starting job. It’s unlikely that either has it locked up just yet.

NOTE: Florida State coach Mike Norvell and his coordinators are scheduled to speak with the media around noon on Sunday about the second preseason scrimmage. Stay connected with Warchant throughout the day for continuing coverage.

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.

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