Florida State's defense had struggled in each of the first three games to some degree. It wasn't a perfect showing against the Central Arkansas Bears as they held the ball for over 39 minutes, but FSU only allowed seven points in the win.
As a unit, the Seminoles' defense hadn't performed well on third down in the first three games. On Saturday, they only gave up five conversions on 16 third downs. Also, they only yielded 138 passing yards and a completion percentage of 50%, which included a pedestrian 4.6 yards per pass attempt.
There were quite a few good performances for Florida State's defense, but these were the top three players.
CJ Richard
Richard has taken advantage of being named a starter at safety over the last few weeks. He led the Seminoles with
eight tackles, with six being solo. Richard keeps proving that although he transferred from a smaller school, he has all the tools to play good football on the highest level. He's been one of the better defenders for FSU in 2026.
Mikai Gbayor
Gbayor has been one of the best transfer additions for Florida State this season. He amassed two tackles for loss against Central Arkansas and six total tackles, and four of them were solo. Along with Chris Jones, Gbayor has helped the linebacker unit at FSU be its strongest unit on the defensive side of the ball.
Kevin Wynn
He didn't light up the stat sheet, but Wynn was a force in the middle on Saturday. He showed his ability to set a great anchor and use his power to push the opposing center into the backfield, which is critical in a 3-3-5 scheme at the nose tackle spot. Look for him to see his reps increase over the coming weeks.
Contact/Follow us @FSUWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Matthew on X @StarConscience
This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Top defensive players in FSU's win over Central Arkansas
