The Florida State Seminoles have the talent to be a disruptive college football team in 2023 and an extremely productive NFL Draft factory for the 2024 cycle. Here’s the full rundown on one of the most exciting teams not only in the ACC but in the entire nation.
Florida State Seminoles Roster and Depth Chart Changes
The 2023 offseason was about as much of a “best-case scenario” as the Seminoles might have hoped. The Seminoles’ losses to the NFL Draft were minimal, with safety Jammie Robinson being the most notable departure. They saw impact players like QB Jordan Travis, EDGE Jared Verse, and DT Fabien Lovett return. And they added a treasure trove of talent through the transfer portal.
Reinforced with ready-made playmakers such as Keon Coleman, Jaheim Bell, Braden Fiske, and Fentrell Cypress III, Mike Norvell’s squad appears primed to compete for an ACC title and maybe even a playoff spot if everything breaks their way. Almost all the way across the board, the roster got stronger — and that aggressive expansion is bound to yield results.
Florida State Seminoles NFL Draft Prospects
Jordan Travis, QB
In Travis, the Seminoles have not only a top-flight college QB but also one of the most exciting prospects on the 2024 NFL Draft stage. Travis is a bit undersized and doesn’t have a rocket arm, but what he does have is peak athleticism for the position. He’s a hyper-elite creator who’s also taken big strides with his accuracy and efficiency over his five-year career. He may max out as a Day 2 pick, but he has a future in the NFL.
Trey Benson, RB
After splitting carries with Treshaun Ward in 2022, Trey Benson is in line to get a major workload boost in 2023. At 6’1″, 221 pounds, he’s a true workhorse RB who operates extremely efficiently inside the tackles. An explosive north-south back, Benson can surge through gaps and punish defenders with his unnerving contact balance, and he also has the foot speed to make micro-adjustments. Early on in the 2024 cycle, he’s one of the top RBs.
Lawrance Toafili, RB
At 6’0″, 191 pounds, Lawrance Toafili won’t get the same looks as a volume back that Benson will. That said, Toafili has some very enticing traits in his toolbox. He’s an explosive change-of-pace runner who shows off high-end receiving upside. He’s a nightmare on wheel routes against linebackers with his burst and ball-tracking ability, and his projected versatility should allow him to earn an opportunity in the NFL.
Keon Coleman, WR
Keon Coleman was a late addition for Florida State, arriving via the transfer portal from Michigan State. But he could ultimately go on to be one of the team’s most impactful players and one of their highest picks. At 6’4″, 210 pounds, with near-elite catching instincts, he’s a true mismatch for every defensive back, but he also has the lateral agility and burst to offset defenders and the grating leg drive to generate RAC yards.
Johnny Wilson, WR
If you see a target towering over everyone on Florida State’s offense, it’s probably Johnny Wilson. At 6’7″, 240 pounds, Wilson is a wide receiver in title only. Both off size and stylistic tendencies, Wilson better resembles a move TE.
He’s not particularly adept as a separator, but he can absolutely bully defensive backs with his toughness and physicality as a RAC threat and with his dominating wingspan and authority at the catch point.
Winston Wright, WR
After putting up 63 catches for 688 yards and five scores for West Virginia in 2021, Winston Wright transferred to Florida State. He was a heavily anticipated addition in 2022, but a leg injury suffered in a car crash caused him to miss the season. He’s now expected to return in 2023, and at 5’9″, 180 pounds, he gives the Seminoles an explosive separator to carve up defenses alongside their larger primary receivers.
Kentron Poitier, WR
We’re getting into the weeds at wide receiver, but there’s a lot of talent on Florida State’s offensive cast. Kentron Poitier likely won’t field heavy volume, but after doing his part to nab 14 catches for 283 yards and four touchdowns in 2022, he’s worth knowing as a big-play threat downfield. At 6’3″, 208 pounds, he can outmatch defensive backs with his size and hand strength.
Jaheim Bell, TE
Transferring to Florida State from South Carolina, Jaheim Bell is one of the 2024 NFL Draft’s most unique prospects. He’s listed as a tight end, but almost three-fourths of his touches in 2022 came on carries. At 6’3″, 230 pounds, he’s built to be an H-back hybrid, and his run-after-catch ability is one of his strongest traits. Coupling together his explosiveness and contact balance, Bell gives defenses a lot to handle.
Kyle Morlock, TE
There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Florida State offense, with only so many touches to go around. That scarcity alone may render Kyle Morlock an afterthought but don’t overlook the transfer from Division II school Shorter. Morlock, who stands at a towering 6’7″ and 245 pounds, caught 30 passes for 446 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. He’s an easy mover for his size, whose athleticism can supplement both seam separation and RAC.
Robert Scott Jr., OT
Robert Scott Jr. now enters his fourth season as a starting tackle for the Seminoles. He’s a surprisingly nimble athlete at 6’5″, 334 pounds, with exceptional length and experience on both the left and right sides. Those qualities alone could field interest from NFL teams for Scott as a potential swing tackle. But if he can build on flashes of growth with his leverage and technique in 2023, he could climb up the 2024 NFL Draft board.
Bless Harris, OT
Expected to be the starting right tackle opposite Scott, Bless Harris will be a name to watch in the deep sleeper ranks of the 2024 NFL Draft. He doesn’t have much experience to this point, but at 6’5″, 325 pounds with plus length, he certainly passes the eye test. He’ll need to keep improving his leverage and power drive to maximize his physical gifts, but he has the build NFL evaluators look for in the trenches.
Casey Roddick, G
Casey Roddick is one of the Seminoles’ under-the-radar transfer additions, but he could go on to make a difference on the offensive line. Roddick played for five seasons at Colorado before transferring to Florida State, starting 30 games across three spots on the line. He has versatility between tackle and guard and was a team captain in 2022. That experience and versatility could earn him some favor with NFL coaches.
D’Mitri Emmanuel, G
D’Mitri Emmanuel started all 13 games for Florida State at right guard in 2022 and earned third-team All-ACC honors in the process. His NFL projection is a bit unclear. He’s a stiff athlete at 6’2″, 300 pounds who lacks high-end mass. But Emmanuel is a dense blocker who can be difficult to deal with in a phone booth. His solid proportional length grants him good power capacity on his punches.
Fabien Lovett, DT
Florida State has a must-watch defensive line, and the man at the center of it all is Fabien Lovett. Lovett missed part of the 2022 season due to injury, but once he returned, his impact was noticeable. Lovett is a dense, well-leveraged, and powerful lineman who can disrupt one on one with his explosiveness and hand force. But ahead of 2023, he’s up to 328 pounds, providing optimism for his 0-tech and 1-tech capabilities as well.
Braden Fiske, DT
Of all the Seminoles’ transfer additions, Braden Fiske may be one of the most exciting. The compact 6’5″, 305-pound defensive tackle is coming off a season at Western Michigan where he amassed six sacks, 12 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and three pass deflections.
He’s a high-motor defender in both phases who combines plus movement and lateral energy with violent, intentional hands.
Darrell Jackson Jr., DT
This will be Darrell Jackson Jr.’s third school in three years. He was on Maryland’s roster in 2021 before transferring to Miami in 2022. With the Hurricanes, Jackson broke out, putting up three sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. He now joins the dream team at Florida State, measuring in at 6’5″, 326 pounds. Alongside Lovett and Fiske, Jackson could start to gain more notoriety.
Malcolm Ray, DT
For another year, it seems Malcolm Ray will be a valued member of Florida State’s interior defensive line rotation. He’s accrued eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks over the past two seasons, flashing his ability as a disruptor. At 6’2″, 290 pounds, with a squatty build, he’s a bit unorthodox, but he has eye-catching proportional length to go along with his natural leverage, and he also has the lateral agility and hand force to work across-face with swims.
Jared Verse, EDGE
Florida State’s 2024 NFL Draft class has the potential to be historic for the program, and Jared Verse is the headliner. Verse logged nine sacks and 17 tackles for loss in 2022 after transferring from Albany, and he has the skill set to dominate again in 2023. At 6’4″, 249 pounds, Verse has superlative explosiveness and twitch as a rusher, upon which he builds with his tenacious motor, violent and surgical hands, and speed to power.
Patrick Payton, EDGE
Opposite Verse in the rotation, Patrick Payton also made an impact in 2022, amassing five sacks and six tackles for loss. Now up to 243 pounds with his extremely long frame, Payton seems primed to take an even greater step forward. Up until now, Payton has won mainly off of his tools — high-end explosiveness, length, speed-to-power potential, and flexibility. He has all the traits — as well as the motor and the playmaking IQ — to keep rising.
Gilber Edmond, EDGE
Verse and Payton draw the most recognition, but Florida State’s EDGE room is three-deep in the 2024 NFL Draft. Gilber Edmond is another high-upside prospect who could surprise in his new setting. Edmond logged nine tackles for loss and two sacks for South Carolina last year. His consistency as a pass rusher is still developing, but he’s a loose, explosive pursuit defender with eye-catching bend for his 6’5″, 250-pound frame.
Tatum Bethune, LB
Tatum Bethune might not be an elite traits-based prospect, but there’s enough on his profile to entice teams as a potential middle-round pick. Bethune is traditionally sized at 6’1″, 230 pounds, and is very active in the box — a quality reflected by his 9.5 TFLs in 2022. Bethune not only flows to the ball well and attacks gaps but also knows how to scrape past blocks and stay in plays.
Kalen DeLoach, LB
Listed at 6’1″, 211 pounds, Kalen DeLoach’s best path forward will be as a hybrid linebacker or box safety in the NFL. But at the very least, he’s shown that he can make an impact in both phases within that mold. In coverage, he’s very instinctive and fluid and can get depth quickly. And in run defense, he’s surprisingly slippery around blocks and has the closing burst out of contact to seal off running lanes.
Fentrell Cypress III, CB
Fentrell Cypress III was one of the most coveted defenders in the transfer portal before becoming an intra-conference addition for the Seminoles. Equipped with a spidery 6’0″, 182-pound frame, Cyrpess has unique frame-relative length and coordination. Both qualities make him an exceptional playmaker, as evidenced by his 14 deflections in 2022. He can be a bit leggy with his technique, but he makes an impact when targeted.
Greedy Vance, CB
It’s fitting that his name is “Greedy” because Vance showed his greed as a playmaker for the Seminoles in 2022, picking up three interceptions in his first season with the team. Listed at 5’11”, 174 pounds, Vance is notably undersized, and that could complicate his projection down the line. But Vance is a feisty CB with playmaking chops, and teams have been known to take chances on wiry DBs who have those qualities.
Renardo Green, CB
2022 was a career year for Renardo Green, who accumulated 58 tackles, three tackles for loss, and five pass deflections. At 6’0″, 188 pounds, he’s around average size for a cornerback and lacks elite length, but he makes up for it with discipline and targeted physicality in press. He has twitchy short-area athleticism to go along with his energy as a competitor — both traits that could help him elevate his game in 2023.
Akeem Dent, S
In a deep 2024 NFL Draft safety class, Akeem Dent will be a prospect to watch. At 6’1″, 195 pounds, he has ideal size and length, and he comes downhill with bristling physicality in support. There are some hiccups in coverage at times, and he doesn’t have the requisite recovery speed to close gaps late in reps. But Dent’s ability to enforce and cover short and intermediate zones could generate some appeal.
Florida State Seminoles Schedule
- Week 1
BYE - Week 2
Sept. 3: vs. LSU Tigers - Week 3
Sept. 9: vs. Southern Miss Golden Eagles - Week 4
Sept. 16: at Boston College Eagles - Week 5
Sept. 23: at Clemson Tigers - Week 6
BYE - Week 7
Oct. 7: vs. Virginia Tech Hokies - Week 8
Oct. 14: vs. Syracuse Orange - Week 9
Oct. 21: vs. Duke Blue Devils - Week 10
Oct. 28: at Wake Forest Demon Deacons - Week 11
Nov. 4: at Pittsburgh Panthers - Week 12
Nov. 11: vs. Miami Hurricanes - Week 13
Nov. 18: vs. North Alabama Lions - Week 14
Nov. 25: at Florida Gators - Week 15
BYE