It’s time to conclude our look at the 2020 Florida State football season with Warchant’s annual list of the top 40 players on the Seminoles' roster -- the players we expect to make the biggest impact for FSU in 2020. (Note: This is not necessarily the 40 most talented players, but the players we believe will have the opportunity and capability to make the biggest impact this season.)
This list features players ranked No. 1 to No. 10 in importance. Here are the previous installments:
The list was compiled through voting by Warchant’s Gene Williams, Ira Schoffel, Corey Clark and Aslan Hajivandi, along with ESPN-Tallahassee’s Jeff Cameron. The Top 40 will be revealed in segments.
Please be sure to watch the video below for a full conversation between the panelists on these 10 Seminoles and then read the capsules for each player, including expectations for this season.
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No. 10 -- Redshirt junior running back Khalan Laborn
In his fourth year on campus, the former five-star recruit might finally be poised for a breakout season. Laborn has struggled to make his mark at Florida State so far, but part of that is because he suffered a season-ending injury before the 2018 season. And another part is because he was backing up one of the best running backs in the country in Cam Akers.
Now Akers is off to the NFL and Laborn, who will be battling with transfer Jashaun Corbin for the starting spot, has a chance to finally make a sustained impact for the Seminoles. He rushed for 297 yards and four touchdowns a year ago on 69 carries. He figures to get a lot more at-bats in 2020, and the Virginia native has a chance to become a key contributor in Mike Norvell's offense.
No. 9 -- Senior wide receiver D.J. Matthews
Matthews should be a very valuable weapon in the Seminoles' new-look offense. The senior receiver, who figures to get much of his work in the slot, looked like one of the best players on the team during the first three practices of the spring. And he's proven he can contribute at this level already. Matthews caught 36 passes in 2019 and 42 passes in 2018.
Matthews hasn't put up a ton of yards in each of those seasons, but he's proven to be a reliable threat in the middle of the field. If he can take another step in his development, and if the coaching staff can figure out how to get him in one-on-one matchups in space, Matthews could have a big senior season. He should also be in contention for the starting punt returner spot in 2020 after serving in that role each of the past two years.
No. 8 - Redshirt junior defensive tackle Cory Durden
The redshirt junior pairs with Marvin Wilson to give the Seminoles one of the best interior duos in the country. Durden led the team in QB pressures last season and is one of the leading returnees in the country in that statistic. At 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds, he has the size and strength to push blockers out of the way, but he also has a quick enough first step to get around them.
Durden finished the 2019 season with 39 tackles, 6.5 for loss and 5 sacks. And that was playing primarily in a 3-4 scheme that tasked the defensive tackles with reading and reacting instead of surging into the backfield with the intent of disrupting plays. With FSU going back to that kind of approach, which Durden and Wilson have said they are more comfortable with, he has the potential to be one of the best interior linemen in the conference.
