Florida State Football: Don’t expect instant turnaround in 2020
By Nick Fiore
Seminoles looking to regain prowess on defense
What was once a defensive juggernaut, the Florida State’s defense’s have taken a major step back the last few years.
New coordinator Adam Fuller spent one season at Memphis and Mike Norvell must’ve liked what he saw because he brought him to Tallahassee to run this defense. In Fuller’s first year, the Tigers’ defense improved, giving up 5.5 less points and 44.6 fewer yards a game. His defensive strategy is very aggressive as the Tigers were top 25 in sack rate and tackles for loss last year, and his style could be a great fit for this Seminoles defense.
Tackles Marvin Wilson and Robert Cooper will end up being one of the top duos up front in the ACC. Wilson earned first-team All-ACC honors and could have entered the NFL draft, instead he’s back for his senior season. He led the team in sacks with five even after missing the final four games.
All three starting linebackers from last season are back in Emmett Rice, Leonard Warner III and Amari Gainer. Rice and Warner are seniors while Gainer is a sophomore and was very impressive starting as a freshman. The three combined for 198 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.
The secondary looks like it’ll be the strength of the defense. Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. has made multiple preseason All-ACC teams and is tested every day going up against Tamorrion Terry. Akeem Dent and Meiko Dotson will be competing for the other spot at corner.
At safety, Hamsah Nasirildeen is back for his senior season after leading the team in tackles with 101 last year. At the other safety spot, Jaiden Lars-Woodbey and Cyrus Fagan may rotate. Lars-Woddbey is best in run support while Fagan’s strength is pass coverage. Fagan will also likely get time at nickel on third-and-longs.
This defense isn’t the loaded unit we grew accustomed to seeing a few years ago, but they have playmakers at multiple spots and the more aggressive nature of Fuller’s scheme could help.