Not much has taken the wind out of the sails of the Florida State football hype train this preseason.
In fact, one of the only negatives so far surrounding the Seminoles' fall camp was the news head coach Mike Norvell shared last Tuesday that defensive tackle transfer Darrell Jackson Jr. was denied his eligibility waiver as a second-time transfer.
Jackson, who transferred from Miami to FSU in large part to be closer to his mother, who is dealing with a medical condition, was expected to be a major part of FSU's interior defensive line rotation. There were times during spring practice that he was the most dominant defensive tackle on the roster.
While FSU has accumulated strong defensive tackle depth through recruiting, development and the transfer portal, the loss of Jackson before the season even begins depletes that depth marginally.
Though the perception may have changed slightly in the wake of that news, the FSU defensive tackle unit showed in Sunday night's first preseason scrimmage that it can still be a position of strength this season.
"The defensive front did a really good job of working to create pressure. I thought our fits in the run game were good for the most part..." Norvell said after the scrimmage. "I think that interior defensive tackle group, it's got a chance to be a great strength."
Even without Jackson, who would have been on the two-deep, FSU should be able to field a very capable two-deep — or even more — at defensive tackle this fall.
On the homegrown front, redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Joshua Farmer appears ready for a more prominent role. A high-school teammate of Jackson's at nearby Gadsden County High, Farmer's body transformation over two years at FSU has been remarkable. He's gone from 250-ish pounds as a high-school signee to now weighing 311 pounds entering his third season with the Seminoles.
Farmer's practice-field impact has been evident throughout his time with the program. He admits he was thrown into the deep end a bit last season after Fabien Lovett's injury, but still managed to amass two sacks and six tackles for loss in 13 games, earning the Devaughn Darling Defensive Freshman of the Year team honor.
After he was one of the most impactful FSU defensive linemen this past spring, Farmer now seems poised to take on an even more impactful role in FSU's defensive tackle rotation.
Norvell indicated Sunday night that Farmer made a couple of "really nice plays" early in the scrimmage to continue what he called a "really good camp" for Farmer.
“This is the year for Josh. Usually that third year of defensive tackles, you guys have seen his body develop and his strength and now he is a major Division I, Power Five defensive tackle from a strength, size, physicality (standpoint)," FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said Sunday night. "Now he's been in the system for three years so the technique is there. He understands the defense, now it's about letting it fly and making sure he's playing as consistent and as hard as he can. But this is the year that Josh takes that step. I know he's got the willingness, the want-to, he's got a high expectations for himself.
"He's gonna be a critical piece because we've got to be absolutely dominant inside for us to be the defense we need to be. We've got to build that wall and stop the run, and it starts up front with that position.”
Another reason FSU is feeling optimistic about the position group is the impact that Western Michigan transfer Braden Fiske has made.
Fiske arrived at FSU in January, but was sidelined for the entire spring due to offseason shoulder surgery. All he was able to do in the spring was race Norvell, which he did exceptionally well considering the 297-pound lineman is carrying quite a bit more weight than the FSU head coach.
Finally getting on the practice field this preseason, Fiske has been a menace on a daily basis with a combination of speed, strength and tenacity that has consistently helped him blow up runs or pressure the quarterback, generally disrupting the offensive flow.
“Braden is the real deal...He's got that intensity, that drive to be better. He's a super selfless player. He's very grateful for being here, but he's going to be somebody that he's going to have a large role in this defense," Fuller said. "He's somebody that plays really hard. He's got great foot speed for a 300-pound player. Got to continue to play with a little bit better technique to be really what we want in the run game, but he'll be a problem for people on third downs. He’ll be a problem for people in the run game because he will work to play the right way.
"He's just a great teammate. You can see him, I think he's got the respect of our guys because they watch how he works and he plays 100 miles an hour. I think Seminole fans will really enjoy Braden Fiske and watching him play for us this year.”
The reasons for optimism extend far beyond these two players. FSU got very little of Lovett at full health last season. He was injured late in the Seminoles' second game vs. LSU, missed the next five games and didn't appear to be back at 100% even when he played in the team's final five regular-season games.
The difference in FSU's run defense when Lovett was on the field and off the field was staggering last season. If Lovett is back to 100% and able to remain on the field, it should make for a noticeable difference as he enters his sixth season in college football.
Additionally, redshirt junior Malcolm Ray has been impactful this preseason after playing through injury last fall and redshirt freshmen Daniel Lyons and Ayobami Tifase could provide some depth after impressive redshirt seasons on the practice field.
All that to say, the loss of Jackson, while significant, doesn't appear to be damning for the Seminoles' defensive tackle unit.
"As (the defensive tackles) get out there and roll, I think we're going to be able to keep guys fresh," Norvell said. "I think that we have some very impactful players."
Full transcript of Norvell's post-scrimmage press conference
Full transcripts of FSU coordinators after Sunday's scrimmage
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