There are no more scrimmages for Florida State this fall after the Seminoles had two in the span of five days last week, reaching the NCAA maximum. However, that does not mean that the depth chart is set in stone — far from it — and head coach Mike Norvell made that clear during his media availability on Sunday night. He told the press that this current week will be “move week,” where he expects to see separation on the depth chart and players start to emerge from the competition.
“This is going to
be a big move week for us as we start to see who’s emerging within the depth chart and really work to finalize some of those personnel groupings as we get ready for game prep here the following week.”
Even without media access to practices, the head coach and coordinators have dropped hints throughout fall camp about which positions are stable and where the battles are. Below are three position battles worth keeping an eye on as the calendar flips towards August 29th.
No. 1: Right side of the offensive line
Norvell rarely answers questions head-on, so when he does, it immediately flashes. On Sunday, when he was asked what groups he is most interested in during move week and his first answer was offensive line, that should tell the public all they need to know.
“The emergence of the five up front, on the offensive line. I think we’ve got a group that’s been pretty consistent in that. Obviously you got to continue to push. We’ll get a chance to watch tonight and kind of see where that went. A couple of guys got opportunities there with different groups.”
For the purpose of this exercise, it makes the most sense to focus on the right side of the offensive line. FSU paid and sought out Xavier Chaplin at left tackle for a reason, and it seems likely that Bradyn Welch-Joiner will start for the Noles at center in week zero. But considering the lack of clear answers for the other positions along the offensive front, and the defensive line seemingly enforcing its will in the trenches through the first half of fall camp, Norvell and OL coach Herb Hand need answers to surface quickly.
At right guard, there are a host of options who could see the field. It seems that Andre Otto has been getting a lot of time at that spot, considering his playing experience and his time in the program. However, he has yet to make the leap to a high-level P4 guard, and the Noles will be counting on him being able to do that when the season begins. The other likely options at that spot appear to be fifth-year Nate Pabst and Troy transfer Paul Bowling. Pabst has received praise from Norvell throughout the offseason and may have the inside track to starting at left guard. However, throughout his collegiate career, he played all along the OL and would be a veteran option at RG. As far as Bowling, he started all 12 games at Troy a season ago as a freshman and saw time at center and guard. If he is ready to go and the coaching staff believes he can handle the uptick in competition, he could be the higher-upside play at right guard. Norvell touched on Bowling’s progress after practice on Wednesday.
“Paul has got more opportunities here this week. He’s a guy who played last year as a true freshman at Troy and played in some big games. You are starting to see him take that next step in understanding.”
There hasn’t been much information released about the right tackle position since the beginning of fall camp, but the expectation is a battle between junior Johnathan Daniels and Stephen F. Austin transfer Chimdia Nwaiwu. Nwaiwu certainly looks the part, listed at 6’5” and 307 pounds, but it will be a massive jump from FCS to P4 football.
No. 2: Wide receiver behind Duce Robinson
There is no question about where the passing offense will funnel the ball towards during the season. Duce Robinson, named to the Preseason All-ACC team, should be a 1,000-yard receiver for the second year in a row and vault his draft stock multiple rounds higher than he was projected to go if he had declared at the end of last year. But who could see playing time behind him feels up in the air, especially since the Seminoles chose not to take a wide receiver out of the portal.
The first name behind Robinson could be Micahi Danzy, who exploded onto the scene a year ago and finished the year with over 700 all-purpose yards and averaged 21.2 yards per reception. However, for Danzy to be a true #2 wide receiver, he will need to work on his short and intermediate route running. That was his stated goal when he talked to the media during fall camp, and he put the work in the offseason to get his body ready for it, gaining weight to be listed at 194 pounds. Here was Norvell after Wednesday’s practice on Danzy:
“(Danzy) is a legit receiver. Maybe last year you saw a really fast athlete who could play the ball…He’s really coming along. Even for him, it’s just about the continued growth.”
Florida State will also hope Jayvan Boggs can be healthy for the start of the season. Boggs started the first three games of the season for FSU a year ago, but has battled injuries so far in Tallahassee. However, his potential was a massive reason why the Noles did not add a transfer in the WR room.
Behind those two are the freshmen, Devin Carter and Jasen Lopez. The Seminole coaching staff cannot stop raving about the fall camp they are having, and it seems like Lopez has started to separate himself from the rest of the wideouts jockeying for the WR3 role. They appear to be in line to see significant playing time during the season and are earning the coach’s trust with every practice. But, how much of an impact they can create as 18-year-olds is always the age-old question when giving freshmen early playing time. Norvell complimented Lopez after the team’s second scrimmage on Sunday.
“I mean, (Lopez) is a guy that doesn’t really act like a freshman… So he’s he’s you got still got a plenty of things to be able to work on, plenty of things to grow in, but the mentality is one thing I do appreciate with him and we’re challenging him. Asking him to do a lot of different things in regards to just to some of the finer details. He’s definitely answered the call in a lot of ways of what we what we want what we expect.”
No. 3: Boundary and field safety
Transfer Karson Hobbs’ injury certainly changes the math of what the safety/nickel position looks like for Florida State. The newcomer from Notre Dame was more potential than finished product, but he was likely to get run on the two-deep. Now, the question in the back end is who will be Ashlynd Barker’s running mates.
The Seminoles preach versatility in the secondary, so there are a host of names that could be in competition for the starting safety spots. Ma’Khi Jones should be on the inside track for getting ample time to see the field. The Duke transfer played in 14 games for ACC-champion Duke a season ago and has ties to FSU general manager John Garrett. Behind him, upperclassmen KJ Kirkland and CJ Richard Jr. appear to be in the mix, but both have to prove their consistency over the course of a season.
On Wednesday, Norvell threw out a name that should get Seminole fans excited: Ricky Knight III. Knight profiles more as a nickel corner, but should be able to play as an athletic safety due to his physical traits. The South Florida native has played sparingly through his first two years in Tallahassee. Hopefully, Knight, who was a part of the impressive 2023 secondary class for FSU, can live up to his status as a high school recruit with more playing time.
“A guy that I’ve really been pleased with and will probably get a little bit more of a look is Ricky Knight,” Norvell told the local Tallahassee media after practice on Wednesday. “He’s really coming along. He’s been emerging there at the corner position. I think Ricky is a guy that is pushing, and I think he has the skill set.”
