Even without Benson, deep RB room again looks like FSU team strength

No one inside the FSU football program has suggested it will be easy to replace Trey Benson.

The two-year starter rushed for nearly 1,000 yards each of his seasons with the Seminoles, and he is expected to be one of the first running backs selected in this month’s NFL Draft.

At the same time, no one who has watched Florida State’s spring practices over the past few weeks could walk away worried about the Seminoles’ running game in 2024.

In just about every practice, FSU’s offense has sprung big runs by one of its deep group of backs — and it is a very deep group of backs.

There are redshirt seniors Lawrance Toafili and Caziah Holmes and redshirt freshman Samuel Singleton Jr., all of whom are returning from last season. Then there are new transfers Roydell Williams from Alabama and Jaylin Lucas from Indiana, plus highly touted early enrollee Kam Davis.

And all six have taken turns breaking off long runs in practices and scrimmages this spring.

“I think we’ve got an explosive group of backs,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. “If you give them space, they’ve got an opportunity to make something happen. And I think the O-Line is just growing in what we’re asking them to do.”

Based on experience and consistency, Toafili likely has the inside track on one of the starting roles. He has essentially been in the FSU program since Norvell and his staff arrived over four years ago, he has started 15 games and played in 43.

Toafili also earned MVP honors of the ACC Championship Game last December by rushing for a career-high 118 yards and scoring the go-ahead touchdown. And FSU’s coaches say he has embraced the challenge of becoming the leader of the room for the first time in his career.

“LT is doing an excellent job of kind of leading the group. He’s put on that weight and muscle, and he’s doing a really good job,” said FSU running backs coach David Johnson, pointing out that Toafili has added eight pounds (from 188 to 196) to his 6-foot frame. “He understands the ins and outs of just about every position. He understands everything the receivers are doing. He understands what the tight ends are doing. He understands the protections.

“So he’s able to help those new guys coming in. … Having his leadership with those guys has been big for us. I’ve really enjoyed having LT around, because it’s like having another coach on the field.”

FSU senior RB Lawrance Toafili scores during spring practice. (Gene Williams/Warchant)

Williams is similarly experienced, albeit in a different program. During his four seasons at Alabama, the 5-foot-10, 215-pounder appeared in 45 games and started two. He has rushed for 1,165 yards with 11 touchdowns on 234 carries (5.0 yards per attempt).

Having coached him now for more than three months, Johnson said he has been very impressed with Williams’ intelligence and maturity. And now that the physical runner has been through about a dozen practices, the Seminoles’ coaches say they see him growing more and more comfortable.

“He’s a veteran. Really good player. He’s really smart,” Johnson said, adding that he loved what he saw out of Williams in FSU’s most recent scrimmage. “He made some people miss; he ran through some people. That’s what we were looking for. And he can catch the ball out of the backfield. But he’s really, really smart. He’s been coached up well, different places he’s been. So we’re really excited about having him.”

Lucas, the speedy Indiana transfer, has likely produced more big plays than any other Seminole skill player this spring. While he doesn’t possess the size of the others — Lucas is listed at 5-9 and 175 pounds — he has proven he can do major damage in Norvell’s offense, as a running back and also while catching passes out of the backfield.

“Jaylin is electric,” Johnson said. “Not just putting him in space, you can kind of put him everywhere.”

Holmes and Singleton are not new faces to Florida State, but they are both looking for expanded roles. Singleton redshirted last season and got just eight carries for 56 yards. Holmes, who transferred in from Penn State two years ago, carried the ball 29 times for 185 yards and two touchdowns last fall.

Johnson said the speedy Singleton caught his attention in last Friday’s practice inside Doak Campbell Stadium. The Jacksonville product has added over 10 pounds in the offseason and now checks in at 5-11, 199. And SIngleton’s position coach said he has noticed improved physicality.

“I was proud of him [on] Friday,” Johnson said. “He did a really good job in short yardage.”

Johnson had similar praise for Holmes: “He’s playing really tough without the ball, and that’s one of the things I wanted to see this spring.”

And then there is Davis, the four-star freshman from Albany, Ga. While most observers marvel at Davis’ physical stature — he already stands 5-10 and 220 pounds even though he should still be in high school — Johnson said it is the running back’s intelligence that will help him play as a freshman this fall.

Davis played quarterback in high school, and Johnson said that gives him a greater understanding of offense than most players at his age.

“Kam has been doing an excellent job,” Johnson said. “Really strong back. He came on the last couple of weeks. Has a really good understanding of the offense. Kam is going to be really good. He’s going to help us this year.”

With six running backs splitting carries this spring and a seventh — four-star Tallahassee product Micahi Danzy — coming this summer, not everyone in the room will get the opportunity to be a featured back. But Johnson pointed out that his running backs have always done a great job of supporting each other no matter who is on the field.

That was the case with Treshaun Ward and Jashaun Corbin in 2021, Ward and Trey Benson in ’22, and Benson and Toafili in ’23.

Johnson is supremely confident that will be the case again this fall.

“When you have guys like LT, who’s been in there for four or five years, Caziah’s been in there for the last two years … they understand the culture,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, we want everybody to get a chance to do the things they need to do. And whoever’s rolling, we’re gonna keep them in the game. And they understand that.”

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

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