Florida State Football: 2017 season preview, predictions
Offense
The Florida State Seminoles were an average offense last season outside of running back Dalvin Cook. Quarterback Deondre Francois took a lot of hits due to some issues on the offensive line. The Seminoles will need to solve those issues in 2017 or they could see Francois knocked out of more games like last season.
Florida State used seven different offensive line combinations in 2016. While its good to have depth on the offensive line, getting some rapport among linemen is key to consistent success. It didn’t help things true freshman and offensive guard Landon Dickerson was lost for the season with a torn ACL injury. He returns in 2017 looking to retake the starting left guard position.
There’s also a question at left tackle the Seminoles need to solve. Currently, redshirt freshman Josh Ball is listed as the starter but if he’s unable to protect Francois, fans could see more offensive line combinations in 2017.
The wide receivers also need to improve. Nyqwan Murray and Auden Tate got a wealth of experience catching the pigskin from Deondre Francois. They’ll need to step it up if Florida State wants a chance to make their second College Football Playoff. Junior wide receiver Da’Vante Phillips was recently suspended indefinitely after being arrested. Phillips was a player expected to contribute this season.
Hype surrounding Cam Akers
At running back, there’s a lot of hype surrounding true freshman Cam Akers. Not to downplay Jacques Patrick, the Seminoles top returning rusher. Patrick is currently on the Doak Walk Award watch list, an award given annually to the nation’s top running back.
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Akers has adjusted to the college life pretty well since enrolling at Florida State in January. He ran for 87 rushing yards and had 102 all-purpose yards in the team’s annual spring game. He may not play right away but he’s already making it hard for the coaching staff to keep him out of the gameplan.
Akers graduated in 2017 as the U.S. Army Player of the Year, given to the nation’s most outstanding high school senior football player. He ran for 38 yards and a touchdown in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, where he was also named the MVP.
Again, Jacques Patrick is the leading man to start at running back. However, he may have to scoot over to make room for Akers. He’s wasted no time making a name for himself on the Florida State Seminoles roster.