Three key position battles entering FSU Football's second scrimmage
As the Florida State football team turns the page from another busy week of practice to its second scrimmage of the preseason, several position battles within the team are heating up.
The Seminoles now have just two more weeks of preparation remaining before their season opener against No. 9 Notre Dame on Sept. 5.
Starting jobs are still up for grabs at many positions, but the highest-profile competitions are at quarterback, linebacker and safety. With FSU's second scrimmage looming Sunday evening, let's take a closer look at some of the top contenders in those position battles.
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Quarterback -- Travis, Milton duke it out
Overall, Florida State’s quarterback situation should be a lot more stable in 2021 than it was last season, when four different passers started for the Seminoles; it was the first time that happened since 1985. Three of those quarterbacks remain, and the Seminoles added another who was responsible for 92 touchdowns across three seasons at UCF.
Since arriving in January, McKenzie Milton has continued to further his understanding of Mike Norvell’s offense throughout the spring, summer and preseason camp. He possesses many of the qualities you’d expect from a former conference player of the year, including tremendous pocket awareness and playmaking ability. That’s been crucial in practice so far, considering the defensive line has had the upper hand on the offensive front at times during 11-on-11 drills.
Now in his fourth season in college, Jordan Travis has continued to improve during Norvell’s tenure as head coach. Travis' 6.5 career yards-per-carry almost doesn’t tell the full story of how dangerous of a runner he can be. And his passing continues to get better as the offensive staff works to help him become a complete quarterback.
Unlike other quarterback competitions, where only one signal-caller will play after winning the job, there is a distinct possibility that Milton and Travis will both see action this fall. They each have done a nice job in camp of avoiding turnovers and major mistakes; the starter will be the one who is more consistent and makes everyone around him better.
Along with evaluating the two veterans, Norvell said he was happy to get a good look at redshirt freshmen Tate Rodemaker and Chubba Purdy this past week in practice after Milton and Travis took the majority of reps in the first scrimmage. Even if neither of the young QBs takes a snap this season, both will be in the mix for the starting job during the next few years.
Linebacker -- New faces challenge for top roles
In the middle of Florida State's 4-2-5 defense, there has been plenty of competition for both starting spots.
Redshirt sophomore Amari Gainer has been a favorite to grab one of the top jobs since the minute last season ended. The Tallahassee native played in every game the past two seasons and has 14 starts to his name already; he was the Seminoles' leading tackler last fall.
In 2020, Gainer’s usage and snap count fluctuated, but he still finished with double-digit tackles in three different games and totaled 65 on the season. But even though FSU returns Gainer and redshirt freshman Stephen Dix Jr., who started the final five games of 2020, the Seminoles won't pencil in either as a sure-fire starter just yet.
That probably has more to do with the emergence of Kalen DeLoach and D.J. Lundy than anything else. Lundy showed promise as a true freshman last fall and is a thumper at 245 pounds. DeLoach has impressed all preseason with his speed and awareness in pass coverage.
A huge wildcard for the linebackers is senior Emmett Rice, who is back for his sixth season at FSU but is still working his way back to full strength following a spring injury. Even if he isn’t ready to go for the start of the 2021 season, Rice could be an asset later in the year.
If there is any unit on the team that could use a boost, it’s the linebackers. Rice has racked up 165 career tackles and has played in numerous big-time situations in the garnet-and-gold stretching back to high-profile games in 2016 and 2017.
Safety -- Plethora of options for top two spots
FSU’s defensive back room features a large number of players who have legitimate college experience, and that luxury extends to the safety position. There are five options for defensive coordinator Adam Fuller to choose from that have already started a game at FSU or another power 5 program.
Travis Jay, one of the team's most explosive athletes, enters his third season now completely healthy after a string of ailments in 2020. He has worked extensively at safety and cornerback and brings the type of play-making FSU sorely needs in the defensive backfield.
Fellow third-year safety Brendan Gant racked up over 30 tackles each of the past two seasons and even played linebacker when needed in 2019. A third member of Florida State’s 2019 defensive back class, Renardo Green, started five games last year and is certainly in the mix.
After bouncing between corner and safety his first two years, heralded recruit Akeem Dent is pushing hard to re-emerge in the back end of the FSU defense. While he has had an up-and-down start to his career, Dent definitely has the talent to pull ahead in this race.
Redshirt freshman Sidney Williams drew praise for his performance late last season, particularly when he recorded eight tackles with a few jarring hits versus Duke to end the season. And one transfer who gets a little lost in the shuffle is former Arkansas Razorback Jarques McClellion. He comes to FSU with 20 starts under his belt in the SEC and has looked the part so far.
While those are the players with experience, no discussion of the Seminoles’ safeties this preseason would be complete without mentioning true freshman Shyheim Brown. The Lake City product continues to be a pleasant surprise and has arguably made as many plays in camp as any defensive back on the team -- even if it wasn’t always going up against the starters on offense.
Stay connected with Warchant.com for complete coverage of the second preseason scrimmage Sunday night.
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