Grades for FSU's defense:
FSU's defense returns six starters from last season and a handful of other players with previous starting experience.
Florida State's defense bounced back nicely last season following a disappointing performance in 2014. Under the direction of second-year defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, the Seminoles improved from having the No. 61 total defense in 2014 to No. 19 in 2015. With a majority of the starters back and some highly touted young players moving up the ranks, the expectations are even higher in 2016.
The biggest loss on defense, of course, was the early departure of defensive back Jalen Ramsey, who was a Consensus All-American and is expected to be an early pick in this year's NFL Draft. How the Seminoles fill that void will go a long way in determining what kind of season they have in 2016.
Defensive Line: A-
DeMarcus Walker was named co-Hinesman Award winner for spring practice.
Gene Williams - Warchant
The defensive line got a huge boost in January when DeMarcus Walker announced he was returning for his senior season. After a breakout season in 2015, when he led the team with 10.5 sacks, it wasn't surprising that he was named the co-Hinesman Award winner; the honor is given to the team's most outstanding player at the conclusion of spring practice. Former five-star standout Josh Sweat, who started nine games last year as a true freshman, was challenged at times this spring by head coach Jimbo Fisher to start playing at a higher level. He did have a huge hit in the spring game when he dropped back into coverage.
While the starting duo at end should be among the nation's best, the position has become precariously thin. Backup Rick Leonard moved to offensive line and Lorenzo Featherson's future is in doubt after sustaining a serious knee injury. By the end of spring practice, Adam Torres was the only other healthy scholarship end on the roster. A healthy Jacob Pugh, who is listed as "Buck", would give the unit a boost. But it's obvious that at least one of three newcomers is going to have to contribute right off the bat.
At defensive tackle, FSU must replace starter Nile Lawrence-Stample, but Demarcus Christmas seems up to the challenge. The redshirt sophomore earned valuable playing time last season off the bench and even started a game. A great sign for this segment is that Christmas and fellow starter Derrick Nnadi were named the defense's two most improved players for spring practice.
There is also plenty of depth on the interior with players like Arthur Williams, Fredrick Jones, Darvin Taylor and junior college transfer Wally Aime' showing plenty of promise.
Linebacker: A
Linebackers Josh Brown and Matthew Thomas go through a drill this spring.
Gene Williams - Warchant
For the past two seasons, linebacker has been the weak link on the Seminole defense. Between injuries and a severe lack of depth, the unit never seemed to get on track and has been wildly inconsistent. With the graduation of both Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup, who had 54 combined career starts, there were concerns entering spring practice that FSU's linebacker woes might continue in 2016.
If the returns from the past couple months are any indication, linebacker could again be a position of strength. Ro'Derrick Hoskins emerged as the leader of the unit and was arguably the most impressive player on defense in the spring game. The redshirt junior recorded seven tackles, had a sack and intercepted a pass. He was all over the field and snuffed out a screen pass in the fourth quarter that would have gone for a huge gain had he not made a heads-up play.
Former five-star recruit Matthew Thomas has battled numerous injuries and eligibility issues throughout his college career. He finally appears to have that all behind him and was a defensive standout this spring. If the Miami native can continue on that path through the fall, FSU should be in great shape at linebacker.
With the starters pretty much set, the only other concern was establishing some quality depth. Early enrollee Josh Brown was everything he was advertised to be and was a solid contributor by the conclusion of spring practice. Sophomore Sh'Mar Kilby-Lane also drew a lot of praise from Fisher. Even Delvin Purifoy, who has had to battle back from a devastating ankle injury, made it through spring practice and should be able to provide additional depth this fall. With one of the nation's top linebacker classes enrolling this summer, the future is very bright for Bill Miller's squad.
Secondary: A
Derwin James wowed coaches and teammates this spring with his performance and leadership.
Gene Williams - Warchant
Not many units can lose a player of Jalen Ramsey's caliber and not skip a beat. If this spring is any indication, that's what is happening with the Seminole secondary. Even without Ramsey, the healthy return of both Trey Marshall and Nate Andrews, along with senior cornerback Marquez White, give the starting group plenty of experience. Throw in all-world sophomore safety Derwin James, and there's plenty of reason for Charles Kelly to be excited about his defensive backfield.
What's also exciting is that some of the highly touted members from FSU's 2015 recruiting class are starting to step up. Former five-star cornerback Tarvarus McFaddenshowed more of his potential this spring and is the front-runner for the starting cornerback spot vacated by Ramsey. Marcus Lewis is another promising sophomore that played exceptionally well in the spring game. Calvin Brewton and A.J. Westbrook now look capable of contributing and providing needed depth at safety.
Special Teams: Incomplete
Freshman Ricky Aguayo will have big shoes to fill in replacing his All-American brother, Roberto.
Gene Williams - Warchant
With no live returns and no live punt teams, and expected starting punter Logan Tylernot on campus yet, it's pretty much impossible to evaluate how well special teams performed in spring practice.
What we do know is that Ricky Aguayo, the younger brother of former All-America kicker Roberto Aguayo, appears to be the real deal. Even though he struggled with consistency early, Jimbo Fisher was pleased with how well he was kicking by the conclusion of spring practice. Aguayo capped it off by going two-for-two on field goal attempts in the spring game, including a game-tying 46-yarder in the final seconds (even though the kick wasn't pretty).
Walk-on punters Kevin Robledo and Jonathan Hernandez did extremely well in the spring, but that was without a live rush.
In case you missed it: Quarterback and offensive spring practice grades
FSU's defense returns six starters from last season and a handful of other players with previous starting experience.
Florida State's defense bounced back nicely last season following a disappointing performance in 2014. Under the direction of second-year defensive coordinator Charles Kelly, the Seminoles improved from having the No. 61 total defense in 2014 to No. 19 in 2015. With a majority of the starters back and some highly touted young players moving up the ranks, the expectations are even higher in 2016.
The biggest loss on defense, of course, was the early departure of defensive back Jalen Ramsey, who was a Consensus All-American and is expected to be an early pick in this year's NFL Draft. How the Seminoles fill that void will go a long way in determining what kind of season they have in 2016.
Defensive Line: A-
DeMarcus Walker was named co-Hinesman Award winner for spring practice.
Gene Williams - Warchant
The defensive line got a huge boost in January when DeMarcus Walker announced he was returning for his senior season. After a breakout season in 2015, when he led the team with 10.5 sacks, it wasn't surprising that he was named the co-Hinesman Award winner; the honor is given to the team's most outstanding player at the conclusion of spring practice. Former five-star standout Josh Sweat, who started nine games last year as a true freshman, was challenged at times this spring by head coach Jimbo Fisher to start playing at a higher level. He did have a huge hit in the spring game when he dropped back into coverage.
While the starting duo at end should be among the nation's best, the position has become precariously thin. Backup Rick Leonard moved to offensive line and Lorenzo Featherson's future is in doubt after sustaining a serious knee injury. By the end of spring practice, Adam Torres was the only other healthy scholarship end on the roster. A healthy Jacob Pugh, who is listed as "Buck", would give the unit a boost. But it's obvious that at least one of three newcomers is going to have to contribute right off the bat.
At defensive tackle, FSU must replace starter Nile Lawrence-Stample, but Demarcus Christmas seems up to the challenge. The redshirt sophomore earned valuable playing time last season off the bench and even started a game. A great sign for this segment is that Christmas and fellow starter Derrick Nnadi were named the defense's two most improved players for spring practice.
There is also plenty of depth on the interior with players like Arthur Williams, Fredrick Jones, Darvin Taylor and junior college transfer Wally Aime' showing plenty of promise.
Linebacker: A
Linebackers Josh Brown and Matthew Thomas go through a drill this spring.
Gene Williams - Warchant
For the past two seasons, linebacker has been the weak link on the Seminole defense. Between injuries and a severe lack of depth, the unit never seemed to get on track and has been wildly inconsistent. With the graduation of both Terrance Smith and Reggie Northrup, who had 54 combined career starts, there were concerns entering spring practice that FSU's linebacker woes might continue in 2016.
If the returns from the past couple months are any indication, linebacker could again be a position of strength. Ro'Derrick Hoskins emerged as the leader of the unit and was arguably the most impressive player on defense in the spring game. The redshirt junior recorded seven tackles, had a sack and intercepted a pass. He was all over the field and snuffed out a screen pass in the fourth quarter that would have gone for a huge gain had he not made a heads-up play.
Former five-star recruit Matthew Thomas has battled numerous injuries and eligibility issues throughout his college career. He finally appears to have that all behind him and was a defensive standout this spring. If the Miami native can continue on that path through the fall, FSU should be in great shape at linebacker.
With the starters pretty much set, the only other concern was establishing some quality depth. Early enrollee Josh Brown was everything he was advertised to be and was a solid contributor by the conclusion of spring practice. Sophomore Sh'Mar Kilby-Lane also drew a lot of praise from Fisher. Even Delvin Purifoy, who has had to battle back from a devastating ankle injury, made it through spring practice and should be able to provide additional depth this fall. With one of the nation's top linebacker classes enrolling this summer, the future is very bright for Bill Miller's squad.
Secondary: A
Derwin James wowed coaches and teammates this spring with his performance and leadership.
Gene Williams - Warchant
Not many units can lose a player of Jalen Ramsey's caliber and not skip a beat. If this spring is any indication, that's what is happening with the Seminole secondary. Even without Ramsey, the healthy return of both Trey Marshall and Nate Andrews, along with senior cornerback Marquez White, give the starting group plenty of experience. Throw in all-world sophomore safety Derwin James, and there's plenty of reason for Charles Kelly to be excited about his defensive backfield.
What's also exciting is that some of the highly touted members from FSU's 2015 recruiting class are starting to step up. Former five-star cornerback Tarvarus McFaddenshowed more of his potential this spring and is the front-runner for the starting cornerback spot vacated by Ramsey. Marcus Lewis is another promising sophomore that played exceptionally well in the spring game. Calvin Brewton and A.J. Westbrook now look capable of contributing and providing needed depth at safety.
Special Teams: Incomplete
Freshman Ricky Aguayo will have big shoes to fill in replacing his All-American brother, Roberto.
Gene Williams - Warchant
With no live returns and no live punt teams, and expected starting punter Logan Tylernot on campus yet, it's pretty much impossible to evaluate how well special teams performed in spring practice.
What we do know is that Ricky Aguayo, the younger brother of former All-America kicker Roberto Aguayo, appears to be the real deal. Even though he struggled with consistency early, Jimbo Fisher was pleased with how well he was kicking by the conclusion of spring practice. Aguayo capped it off by going two-for-two on field goal attempts in the spring game, including a game-tying 46-yarder in the final seconds (even though the kick wasn't pretty).
Walk-on punters Kevin Robledo and Jonathan Hernandez did extremely well in the spring, but that was without a live rush.
In case you missed it: Quarterback and offensive spring practice grades
