FSU Football spring preview: Linebackers have a lot to prove in 2021
Florida State's spring football practice is scheduled to begin on March 9. Before the team hits the practice field, we are previewing each position on offense and defense.
Today, we focus on linebacker, a position that was a defensive liability in 2020. However, expectations are that the group should be improved in year two under position coach Chris Marve.
Earlier Position Previews: Running back | Wide receiver | Offensive line | Quarterback | Tight end
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It's no secret that Florida State's defense massively underachieved in 2020. The Seminoles finished the season ranked No. 107 in total defense and No. 105 in scoring defense. More specific to the linebackers, FSU surrendered 200 yards per game on the ground and 5.1 yards per carry. Those figures were the worst by an FSU defense since the 2009 season.
The group also struggled in pass coverage, with opposing offenses routinely targeting the linebackers in the middle of the field. Leonard Warner III, who started the first four games, and Stephen Dix Jr., who started five games, both finished with PFF coverage grades below 55. Full-time starter Emmett Rice finished with an average coverage grade of 60.3. Even more telling is that teams completed 83.9 percent of their pass attempts when targeting FSU's linebackers (73 completions on 87 attempts). No matter how you slice the numbers, the unit was an unmitigated disaster in 2020.
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