Tomiwa Durojaiye relishing opportunity to showcase versatility on FSU DL
Florida State entered the 2024 offseason with some questions that needed answered across the entire defensive line.
At defensive end, the departure of Jared Verse to the NFL left a considerable hole of production that must be replaced.
At defensive tackle, FSU has a pair of certain projected starters in Joshua Farmer and Darrell Jackson but some real questions about the depth of that room behind them.
FSU addressed these needs with portal additions at both end and tackle. But FSU has also had quite a bit of success over the last few years finding players who are capable of playing both inside and outside on the defensive line depending on the situation and formation.
It would seem that West Virginia defensive line transfer Tomiwa Durojaiye has emerged as the next hybrid defensive lineman for the Seminoles, following in the footsteps of Keir Thomas in 2021 and Dennis Briggs at times over the last few seasons.
FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said earlier this spring that Durojaiye is splitting his reps approximately 50/50 between working at defensive end and defensive tackle.
Durojaiye takes pride in being a newcomer who is also the only FSU defensive lineman working at both tackle and end this spring.
"It means a lot that it's my third year in college and I'm at a new stop and they trust me to be able to play both and learn both," Durojaiye said this week. "I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to show my versatility. I feel like going inside or outside, I'm losing something. I feel like I can play both pretty well."
At 278 pounds entering the spring, Durojaiye is 18 pounds heavier than any of FSU's other defensive ends and 12 pounds lighter than any of its scholarship defensive tackles.
And yet, he possesses both the speed and power in his 6-foot-4 frame that has allowed him to be impactful all over the line this spring.
"You need those guys that have some versatility to them. He is that guy for us right now," FSU defensive ends coach John Papuchis said of Durojaiye. "We’ve had other guys like that in the past. Keir Thomas did some of that, more on third down, went inside. Dennis Briggs has done that a little bit. And now I think Tomi has that opportunity to do that for us. Having those guys with some versatility does add some flexibility to what you do in your packages."
To Durojaiye, he says the balancing of learning these two positions in a defensive scheme that is new to him takes more work off the field than on it.
"In a 3-4, you're more reacting than attacking. In a 4-3, you're definitely attacking..." Durojaiye said. "It's a little bit challenging more in the classroom learning d-end and d-tackle than on the field. I think on the field, it comes pretty easy because it's all the same stuff, you just need to know your alignment and assignment."
The 2024 season will be Durojaiye's third in college football at his third school. He originally enrolled at Kentucky but left after one season for West Virginia where he appeared in 13 games and made 23 tackles, six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last season.
Now a Seminole for over three months since enrolling in Tallahassee back in January, Durojaiye has been impressed with how FSU's staff has followed through on the promises they made to him during his transfer recruiting process.
"I like it a lot. On my visit I told them what I wanted to be and they push me there every day. Coach (Odell) Haggins is on me 24/7, Coach JP (John Papuchis) is on me. They constantly call me outside of this. That's something I appreciate a lot," Durojaiye said. "Coach (Adam) Fuller and coach (Mike) Norvell, they constantly check in on me. You tell them what you want to be as a player and you tell them your goals and they're going to stay on you 24/7 to make sure you accomplish what you say you're going to do."
Durojaiye talked in his introductory press conference at FSU about his belief in himself as a future first-round NFL Draft pick and that the FSU coaching staff is the right group to help him get there.
He's been impressed in his first spring as a Seminole with how the rest of FSU's defensive line has similar mentalities and approaches and how that has elevated the entire defensive line this spring.
"I see a bunch of guys who have the same aspirations as myself. I see a bunch of guys who aren't complacent," Durojaiye said. "Pat (Payton) was All-ACC, Josh (Farmer) was All-ACC, Darrell (Jackson) played well at Miami. Marvin (Jones Jr.) and (Sione Lolohea) both played well at their last schools. The whole room, nobody is complacent. Everybody is trying to improve. We are all competing for reps, we all want to be that guy, but it's a healthy competition."
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