Position Battles that should ramp up in a pivotal stretch of FSU’s camp (2024)

I'm not sure that I expected this to be an outright competition heading into preseason camp, but coach Mike Norvell has noted that there are three offensive tackles – Darius Washington, Robert Scott, and Jeremiah Byers – pushing each other.

Washington has been exceptional this camp and finished last season as your starting left tackle while earning All-ACC First Team recognition…so he's safe to project as your starting LT again (although his positional versatility allows for malleability if FSU chooses to move some pieces around).

If you have Washington penciled in on the left side, that leaves Byers and Scott battling it out on the right. They both have more than 2,000 career snaps and have each been starting tackles for the duration of a season at FSU.

Byers offers more athletic upside and was your starter on the right side last season, while Scott is regarded for being extremely heady while bringing experience at left tackle…in addition to an injury history that creates pause. But Scott has exceeded expectations in camp and has been one of your more impressive run blockers.

This will be a legitimately fun battle to watch play out in camp. I think that regardless of who gets the nod in Dublin, you'll likely see all three tackles play a prominent role this season given the amount of rotating FSU has done at the spot the last couple of years.

Malik Benson should be your featured player at the 2-WR spot. But what about WR2, or the 9-WR in this case?

Hykeem Williams and Kentron Poitier are the two contenders we anticipated having a shot to take on sizable roles as big, perimeter receivers entering camp…and both have had their bright moments. Williams and Poitier each had long touchdown catches during Tuesday's practice, and it feels like Poitier is stringing together multiple good days in a row now.

They both need to be factors for this offensive to reach its potential, but you'd ideally love one to step up to provide a complementary presence opposite of the speedy Benson.

People will ask about the chance of a freshman like Elijah Moore or Lawayne McCoy getting a look here. That feels further away, but both have flashed in camp – McCoy is starting to do some impressive stuff on seemingly a daily basis – and perhaps they could eventually factor into the rotation later on in the season.

This, like offensive tackle, feels like a spot in which FSU has assembled quality depth and will have the chance to lean on a rotation this season.

Transfers Richie Leonard and TJ Ferguson join Keiondre Jones as three veteran players with varying levels of starting experience in the SEC. Jones is a mauler, Ferguson has some of that to his game as well but moves really well at his size, and Leonard is a steady mover with a low center of gravity.

Bryson Estes and Jake Rizy are also factors as they will be pushing for reps throughout the year.

There's functional depth here. Now you head into this stretch of camp trying to figure out the right combination of the three as it applies to who starts at which guard spot.

Personally, I really like Ferguson's ability to move at his size and I think your optimal lineup includes the Alabama transfer if he performs consistently enough to earn the trust that comes with a starting nod.

You know what you have in DJ Lundy, who has been limited at times this camp according to Mike Norvell, at your Will linebacker spot.

But who steps up for the more space-based Mike spot to replace Kalen DeLoach?

Cam Riley (Auburn transfer) and sophom*ore Blake Nichelson feel like the most obvious answers from a talent perspective. Both are high-end athletes with the movement ability to be effective playing in space.

Riley has been a great addition for the Seminoles this offseason as he's clearly shown well as a playmaker in camp and has earned praise from Norvell for how he's acclimating to a new defensive scheme (at least his third or fourth one in as many years given the turnover that he endured at Auburn).

Justin Cryer is another player who has been great at times in camp, although his skill set more closely resembles Lundy's. But that's what makes this part of camp fun to monitor as the Seminoles could reasonably explore what it looks like having two thumpers on the field at the same time in Cryer and Lundy.

I think Riley represents the higher floor right now and perhaps the higher ceiling for the 2024 season, but this is going to be an interesting one to play out as the Seminoles track towards releasing their projected depth chart in a couple weeks.

Shyheim Brown is everything you hoped he'd be in preseason camp, showing legitimate growth and leadership after a very solid Third-Team All-ACCperformance last year. He's doing everything you want as the elder statesman of the room.

But who takes Akeem Dent's starting spot at the cover-oriented safety spot? Conrad Hussey, Devonta Brown, and Omarion Cooper were the obvious candidates entering camp, although none have extensive experience at the position (Brown and Cooper offer plenty of starting experience, at cornerback, while Hussey garnered 200ish snaps at safety last season as a true freshman.)

Hussey is your highest-upside player, and Shyheim Brown did praise how the sophom*ore's mindset has improved over the offseason. Devonta Brown has also shown well and Cooper is someone FSU views as being able to help at multiple spots.

It's another spot that has the ability to really get clarity in the coming week as the coaching staff looks for a player who can provide stability.

A year ago at this time, we weren't sure who would get looks at punt returner...and neither did FSU. Keon Coleman emerged during that UNF camp and ended up being one of the more dynamic returners in the country.

The Seminoles do seem ahead of schedule this year. David Johnson, FSU's RB coach who also works with punt returners, mentioned Malik Benson, Jaylin Lucas, Lawayne McCoy and Micahi Danzy as four returners who are standing out. Those are two more experienced players and two true freshmen, although Lucas is the only one with some in-game reps as a punt returner at the Power Four level.

There's a lot of speed among this group and FSU seems confident with how the players have done in regards to fielding/decision making. FSU appears to have good options here.