Some of the best news Florida State football fans heard this offseason was that the defensive tackle duo of Fabien Lovett and Robert Cooper were returning for the 2022 season.
The standout linemen each have several years of experience, they were extremely productive last fall, and they project to give FSU one of the top defensive lines in the ACC this season.
“We could have left [for the NFL], but it was just like, 'Why?' We need to come back and be a part of a change," Lovett explained this week in Charlotte at ACC Kickoff. "We’ve got a great relationship together. We work together, we work hard together. I don’t think anyone can run between me and him.
"You put a guard, center and guard against me and Coop -- two versus three -- we’ll win every single time. I don’t care who it is, me and Coop will win.”
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As excited as he is about returning with Cooper, Lovett added that he has “great confidence” in the Seminoles' depth in the middle of the defensive line.
Redshirt junior Jarrett Jackson and redshirt sophomore Malcolm Ray saw a great deal of action as backups last season, and they likely will be the first two off the bench. Then there are three or four underclassmen who could fill in as well.
“It's not just me and Coop out there on the field," Lovett said. "I can go out there with Jarrett Jackson, I can go out there with Josh Famer, Malcolm Ray. It balances itself out across the board.”
Farmer, a redshirt freshman who has bulked up to 6-foot-3 and 304 pounds this offseason, likely will be a major part of the rotation. And the Seminoles also are extremely excited about the potential freshman Daniel Lyons and Bishop Thomas showed as early enrollees in the spring.
“Josh Farmer, Daniel Lyons, those guys are really coming along,” Lovett said. “Josh is big. Josh is working. He’s working, and he’s getting it done. He’s doing everything he needs to, it’s just he’s a young guy. He needs more experience from end to end. He’s going to play a lot this year.”
While it's a lot to ask of a true freshman to play on the defensive line, there's a good chance one of the talented newcomers could work his way onto the third unit in preseason camp. Then at that point, an injury or two could elevate them to the two-deep.
With that in mind, Cooper, Lovett and veteran defensive end Dennis Briggs, who previously played tackle, are putting in extra time to help the youngsters develop as quickly as possible.
“They’ve grown tremendously. Dennis is still hard on them,” Lovett said. “Daniel Lyons, Bishop, they’re great athletes, they’re smart kids. They’re just young. They are trying to learn everything like I was when I was a freshman.”
Lovett, who started his college career at Mississippi State before playing the last two seasons at FSU, earned Honorable Mention All-ACC honors last season. He recorded 28 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
He has now played in 33 college football games and started 24 of them. And the redshirt junior says he still is grateful for the decision he made to transfer to FSU, where he gets to learn from longtime defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins and be mentored by head coach Mike Norvell.
“He’s helped me become the man that I am today," Lovett said of Haggins. "The person I was when I first got here is not the person I am now. He’s helped me grow. Coach Norvell has helped me grow, just being able to talk to them and get a better understanding and get advice on things I have never done or seen before.”
Lovett isn't only excited about the potential of the defensive front heading into preseason practice, which begins on Wednesday. He said he is fired up about the entire team.
After struggling to sub-.500 records in each of Norvell's first two seasons, the Seminoles believe they can get over the hump in 2022.
“We’re putting all the pieces together, that’s all I can say,” Lovett said. “We’re putting the pieces together and doing everything we need to.”
While he technically will have one more year of eligibility after this season, Lovett would love to have a big year this fall, help the program get back on track, and then make the move to the NFL.
And he has some extra motivation to make all of that a reality. His son, Fabien Lovett Jr., is over a year old now and is doing well after experiencing medical issues in 2021.
“He’s doing good, he’s getting big. Real big," Lovett said. "He’s like two feet tall already, and he isn’t even walking all the way. It makes me slow down and think about everything more. I can’t just rush to go do this, rush to go do that, because I have to make it home back to him.
"It’s all about him now. It’s not about me anymore. It’s strictly him. I've gotta make the best decisions that will benefit him.”
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