Rumors surrounding Derwin James began to heat up after the freshman All-American was spotted on campus wearing a protective boot on his foot. Warchant.com has confirmed with a university source that James did undergo surgery two weeks ago to repair a small fracture in his foot.
The surgery was described as “minor” by the source with full recovery expected approximately four to five weeks following the procedure. With the start of football practice scheduled for August 9, which is right at four weeks following surgery, the Noles’ second-leading tackler from 2015 is expected to be able to participate. And he should be 100 percent recovered with no limitations in time for the second week of practice.
James is one of seven returning starters on a defense that finished 19th in total defense in 2015.
* Defensive ends: Five things to know about FSU's pass-rushers in 2016
Last season as a true freshman, James started eight games and racked up 91 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, five pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, two fumbles forced and two fumble recoveries. The sophomore defense back was recently named to the all-ACC preseason first team unit.
