With college football season drawing closer, I'll start rolling out the Five Takes column more often. This is a collection of opinions, tidbits and nuggets involving FSU athletics and recruiting.
All members of 2015 class are on campus
Every member of FSU's 20-player 2015 recruiting class has either enrolled or is taking part in the summer Bridge Program. That doesn't mean that every member of the class is 100 percent cleared to enroll. However, it is a very positive sign. There may be one or two players that need to get some minor issues cleared up over the next couple weeks, but I've been told by multiple sources at FSU that every 2015 signee is expected to enroll and participate in August preseason practices.
That is the continuation of an important recent trend for the 'Noles. Every member of FSU's 2014 recruiting class was enrolled by the start of the fall semester as well.
By contrast, at least two Florida players have yet to arrive on campus and at least one will definitely not qualify.
Position change in the works?
Position changes have been pretty common under Jimbo Fisher. The most recent was Ryan Green, who moved from running back to cornerback prior to the start of spring practice. Tyrell Lyons also made the move from defensive back to linebacker at the end of last season.
We are hearing there's a good chance that incoming freshman Jalen Wilkerson from Douglas, Ga., (Coffee County HS) will move to defensive end. He played both tight end and defensive end in high school, so this isn't really a "switch," but he was originally signed by FSU as a tight end. The move makes a lot of sense given that FSU has good depth at tight end, returning two redshirt freshmen and one redshirt sophomore. And the nation's top tight end for next year's class, Isaac Nauta, is a Florida State commitment.
Early lines for 2015
Golden Nugget, a Las Vegas sportsbook, released some early betting lines for the upcoming college football season. In case you missed it, the lines involving FSU are below.
It's so hard to predict the outcome of games this far in advance, but at first glance a more-than-two-TD line against Miami in a game relatively early in the season seems a bit high. On the other hand, the four-point line vs. a down-and-out Florida team seems a bit low.
Saturday, Oct. 10
Miami (FL) at Florida State -14.5
Saturday, Oct. 17
Louisville at Florida State -12
Saturday, Oct. 24
Florida State at Georgia Tech PK
Saturday, Nov. 7
Florida State at Clemson -2
Friday, Nov. 27
Florida State -4 at Florida
Getting out of Boise State in 2019-20
A couple weeks ago, there was a popular thread on the Tribal Council debating whether FSU should get out of the home-and-home series with Boise State in 2019-20.
It's no secret that Boise State isn't the same team it was when the two-game series was announced following the 2012 season. In each of the five seasons before the deal was struck, the Broncos finished ranked in the top 15 (and top 10 four times). However, Boise State finished unranked following the 2013 season and No. 16 in the Coaches Poll after last season. With longtime head coach Chris Petersen now at Washington, there is little expectation that the Broncos will recapture the magic that made them a legitimate top-10 program over the past decade. Athlon has BSU at No. 25 in its preseason rankings for 2015.
While it's still an above-average program, it's hard to see much upside in FSU traveling to Idaho for a game. It will cost a lot of money to bring the whole football team, support staff and equipment that far across the country. And since FSU will probably be a heavy favorite, there will be little appeal for the game nationally unless the 'Noles get upset. Of course, there also is no recruiting advantage by playing a game in Idaho.
Finally, the FSU-Boise State contract was entered into by two athletic directors that are no longer at either school.
The trend as of late is for FSU to play big-name opponents at neutral sites that are accessible to the Seminole fan base. These games have also become financially lucrative. The game in Orlando vs. Ole Miss next year is expected to bring FSU $3.5 million. The FSU-Alabama game in 2017 is expected to result in a payout to each school in the $4 million to $5 million range.
You could easily see a scenario where FSU could take that road game at Boise State in 2020 and make it a neutral-site game versus a big-name opponent somewhere in a Southeast location.
For these reasons, it makes complete sense to scrap the series. However, there is one big hurdle standing in the way -- the buyout is reportedly in the $2 million range.
Despite that hefty penalty, dumping the series could still make sense. I'm sure FSU would save a few hundred thousand dollars (at least) by traveling to Jacksonville or Orlando for a neutral-site game instead of going all the way to Idaho. And considering what these neutral sites are willing to pay for these games, it should more than cover the buyout to Boise State (and these buyouts generally get negotiated down anyway). Even if it turned out to be a wash, giving fans a chance to see their favorite team in an easily accessible Southeastern location would be preferable.
Hopefully, Stan Wilcox and his staff are looking into alternatives for 2019-20. If the right situation comes along, the Boise State series should be dumped like a bad habit.
Quick thought on De'Andre Johnson
Until we see the video of the incident where Johnson is alleged to have punched a woman at a local bar, it's difficult to predict how Jimbo Fisher and FSU will dispense punishment. However, if he did what is asserted in the probable cause affidavit, "punching the victim on the left side of her face," which caused injuries to the victim's cheek, nose, eye and upper lip, it's hard to see him remaining on the team. As we've seen before, a police report isn't always accurate. But the PC affidavit says the victim's account is consistent with the video evidence.
If the report is accurate, I don't think a simple suspension will suffice. With all the recent publicity surrounding pro athletes and violence towards women, I expect Johnson to be dismissed (again assuming the report is accurate).
