7/24/2023 football Edit

Notable summer weight gains, losses on FSU football roster

Curt Weiler • TheOsceola

Senior Writer

As the start of Florida State football's preseason camp nears closer, more updates about the upcoming season and the state of the FSU roster continue to emerge.

Ahead of ACC Kickoff this week in Charlotte, N.C., FSU shared updated weights for its entire roster as part of its media guide release on Seminoles.com Monday. And ahead of the 2023 season, there were a number of significant updates about players who have either lost or gained weight during the team's summer conditioning program.

There are a number of players who remained at the exact same weight or moved only a few pounds up or down from where they were in the spring. However, there were also 30 scholarship players who moved up or down six or more pounds between spring camp -- or when they arrived on campus in the case of summer enrollees -- and now.

We'll start our look in the trenches, where there are often the most drastic changes in player weights.

On the offensive line, there were a number of significant weight gains and losses. Eight players gained or lost six pounds since spring camp and one lost 25 pounds, making him the biggest loser on the entire FSU roster.

That player is redshirt freshman Jaylen Early, who is now listed at 299 pounds after weighing in at 324 pounds at the start of spring practice. This seems to confirm that Early's future likely lies at offensive tackle and that impressive weight loss after he was perhaps a bit heavy in the spring shows his commitment to doing everything in his power to fight for playing time in the near future.

Other weight losers on the offensive line from spring to now are redshirt freshman Julian Armella (down from 328 to 320), Thomas Shrader (down from 302 to 295), UTEP transfer Jeremiah Byers (down from 329 to 325) and Colorado transfer Casey Roddick (down from 313 to 309).

In terms of weight-gainers who could contribute this fall, versatile veteran FSU offensive lineman Darius Washington is up to 306 pounds after weighing 300 in the spring and offensive tackle Robert Scott Jr., who was sidelined with an injury this spring, is up from 304 to 313 pounds.

A number of younger offensive linemen unlikely to see the field this fall have also been making strides in the weight room. Redshirt freshman Daughtry Richardson is up six more pounds this fall to 316 after he was 310 this spring and 285 when he enrolled in January of 2022. Early enrollee freshman Lucas Simmons is up from 309 in the spring to 313 entering his first season and summer enrollee Andre' Otto has quickly added weight, jumping up from 320 to 326.

On the other side of the line at defensive end, there have also been a number of weight shifts, some gradual and some more significant. Three defensive ends have added 10-plus pounds since spring. Redshirt freshman Aaron Hester made a significant jump entering year two from 227 pounds in the spring to 241 pounds. That's a significant step towards him carving out a rotational role either this fall or maybe in 2024.

In terms of players more likely to see regular playing time this fall, South Carolina defensive end transfer Gilber Edmond bulked up from 245 to 257 pounds, rounding into form as a more true defensive end at his new weight. JUCO transfer Jaden Jones may have not been able to work out this spring coming off an ACL injury suffered last fall, but he did add a healthy amount of weight this summer despite that. He's now listed at 252 pounds after he was 238 in the spring, a more traditional defensive end frame which could help him break into the rotation in his first season, if healthy.

Another gainer, albeit on a smaller scale, is first-team All-ACC defensive end Jared Verse. Entering year two, Verse is up to 260 pounds after he was listed at 253 pounds in the spring. It's unclear whether that weight gain was an effort by Verse to bulk up or if he's just trying to add weight ahead of the anticipated slight weight loss that all players go through during an intense and exhausting preseason camp next month.

The two defensive ends who lost a significant amount of weight entering the 2023 preseason were redshirt freshman Dante Anderson and sophomore Pat Payton. Payton dropped from 243 pounds in the spring to 239 after winning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022. Anderson dropped a more substantial amount of weight, from 251 in the spring to 240 entering preseason camp.

At defensive tackle, there were a few players who went in each direction with their weight over the summer. Dennis Briggs Jr. gained six pounds from 284 to 290 as he continues to cement himself as a defensive tackle instead of a tweener and Miami transfer Darrell Jackson Jr. is up eight pounds from 326 to 334.

On the other side, Western Michigan transfer Braden Fiske is down eight pounds from 305 to 297, cementing his likely status as a versatile player potentially capable of playing both defensive tackle and as a 3-4 defensive end in certain situations. Sixth-year senior Fabien Lovett also dropped a significant 10 pounds, dropping from 328 in the spring to 318 entering preseason camp.

At wide receiver, the only weight changes of note came from a pair of true freshmen. Early enrollee Hykeem Williams is down seven pounds to 208 after playing at 215 this spring. Summer enrollee Goldie Lawrence has quickly added three pounds, jumping up from 190 when he enrolled to 193 pounds now.

At tight end, redshirt junior Markeston Douglas gained 11 pounds, jumping from 274 in the spring to 285 entering fall camp. This also feels like a move to counteract preseason weight loss. South Carolina transfer Jaheim Bell added weight as well, now up to 239 pounds, six more than the 233 he was at in the spring.

Redshirt freshman tight end Jerrale Powers also made a drastic change this summer, dropping 11 pounds from 247 to 236 entering preseason camp.

At linebacker, there were three fairly substantial weight gains this summer. Converted tight end Brian Courtney, now listed as a linebacker/tight end on the roster, embraced that position change by adding 10 pounds, jumping up from 228 to 238 pounds. True freshmam DeMarco Ward made the most of his early enrollment, adding 10 pounds as well to enter his first fall at 227 pounds. And veteran DJ Lundy, who has made a habit of shedding weight the last few offseasons, added some weight back this summer, jumping from 236 to 244 pounds.

Finally, there were a number of defensive backs who added or lost weight over the course of the summer conditioning program. In terms of gainers, Kevin Knowles III, coming off a spring injury which sidelined him, went up nine pounds from 178 to 187, Azareye'h Thomas went up from 188 pounds to 194 and UVA transfer Fentrell Cypress gained five pounds from 182 to 187.

Additionally, two secondary players who enrolled this summer have quickly added a bit of weight. JUCO safety addition Ashlynd Barker is already up from 200 pounds to 206 and freshman Conrad Hussey has put on five pounds, jumping from 190 to 195.

In terms of weight losses, projected safety starter Shyheim Brown dropped 12 pounds since spring, falling from 217 to 205. At cornerback, Jarrian Jones is down to 191 after entering spring at 198 pounds and freshman Quindarrius Jones has already dropped nine pounds from 200 to 191.