Florida State's offensive line, which already has lost left guard Kareem Are to graduation and junior left tackle Rod Johnson to the NFL Draft, also will be without starting center Alec Eberle this spring, an FSU source confirmed to Warchant.com on Tuesday.
Eberle, who has started for most of the past two seasons, will miss spring drills in March and April after undergoing hip surgery.
The 6-foot-4, 294-pounder played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2015 and started six of them. He was the Seminoles' starter again in 2016 and will be a redshirt junior this fall.
On the positive side, FSU could have former starting center Corey Martinez available this spring after he recently underwent minor knee surgery. Martinez, who started three games as a redshirt freshman in 2015, battled through a torn meniscus in 2016. Because his surgery called for trimming the affected cartilage instead of repairing it, Martinez could be back this spring.
If Martinez is ready to go, we expect him and Andrew Boselli to take most of the first- and second-team reps this spring. That should be a great opportunity for Boselli, who has impressed coaches and teammates with his intelligence and athletic ability. The son of former NFL star Tony Boselli already was expected to be a serious contender for the starting job this fall, and this could help him expedite that process. Martinez also will be a factor if he can stay healthy.
FSU also could have fifth-year senior Ryan Hoefeld available for depth, but we would not be surprised to see highly regarded freshman Baveon Johnson move to guard in the spring, or at least spend time at both positions. We have heard that his future at FSU is more likely at guard at this point.
Latest on Ja'Vonn Harrison
Finally, there has been a lot of chatter on the boards and social media lately about the status of junior receiver Ja'Vonn Harrison. If you remember, he was suspended early in the season and never returned to practices or games. There was even a report that he intended to transfer.
Warchant has confirmed that Harrison never left school and is still attending classes at Florida State. But a source told Warchant on Tuesday that Harrison's return to the team is not expected now or in the future. That is not surprising consider the scholarship crunch FSU is currently facing. The Seminoles had a small senior class in 2016, and even after losing three juniors to the NFL, they are having a tough time fitting in a full class of 25 signees during this recruiting cycle.
That's it for now.
Eberle, who has started for most of the past two seasons, will miss spring drills in March and April after undergoing hip surgery.
The 6-foot-4, 294-pounder played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 2015 and started six of them. He was the Seminoles' starter again in 2016 and will be a redshirt junior this fall.
On the positive side, FSU could have former starting center Corey Martinez available this spring after he recently underwent minor knee surgery. Martinez, who started three games as a redshirt freshman in 2015, battled through a torn meniscus in 2016. Because his surgery called for trimming the affected cartilage instead of repairing it, Martinez could be back this spring.
If Martinez is ready to go, we expect him and Andrew Boselli to take most of the first- and second-team reps this spring. That should be a great opportunity for Boselli, who has impressed coaches and teammates with his intelligence and athletic ability. The son of former NFL star Tony Boselli already was expected to be a serious contender for the starting job this fall, and this could help him expedite that process. Martinez also will be a factor if he can stay healthy.
FSU also could have fifth-year senior Ryan Hoefeld available for depth, but we would not be surprised to see highly regarded freshman Baveon Johnson move to guard in the spring, or at least spend time at both positions. We have heard that his future at FSU is more likely at guard at this point.
Latest on Ja'Vonn Harrison
Finally, there has been a lot of chatter on the boards and social media lately about the status of junior receiver Ja'Vonn Harrison. If you remember, he was suspended early in the season and never returned to practices or games. There was even a report that he intended to transfer.
Warchant has confirmed that Harrison never left school and is still attending classes at Florida State. But a source told Warchant on Tuesday that Harrison's return to the team is not expected now or in the future. That is not surprising consider the scholarship crunch FSU is currently facing. The Seminoles had a small senior class in 2016, and even after losing three juniors to the NFL, they are having a tough time fitting in a full class of 25 signees during this recruiting cycle.
That's it for now.
