For the first time since 1975, there will be a different man roaming the sidelines on Saturday afternoons in Doak Campbell Stadium. And what he will accomplish in his first season at the helm may surprise a few people.
Bobby Bowden has relinquished the reigns of his brainchild (the Florida State Football Program) to Jimbo Fisher… and the First-year Head Coach is walking into about as ideal a situation as he can hope for.
The Seminoles return 10 of 11 starters on Offense, including Heisman contender QB Christian Ponder. Ponder (who missed the last 3 games in 2009 with a shoulder injury) had a great Junior season, throwing for 2,700 yards and 14 TDs. Most impressive was his 69% completion percentage (which was up 13% from 2008). His giant leap in decision making has Tallahassee buzzing about the Heisman Trophy along with an ACC Championship returning to Tallahassee.
Behind him, RB Jermaine Thomas returns after posting 849 yards and 9 TDs in 2009. Joining him will be youngster Chris Thompson, whose inspired play during spring practice has coaches raving about his leg drive and playmaking ability. The Seminole offensive line returns all 5 starters and will undoubtedly be the most talented group up front in the conference. Florida State’s running game will be dominant… simply put.
Out wide, Ponder will have plenty of targets to find his passes homes for. WR Jarmon Fortson has the size and speed that is drawing many comparisons to former Ohio State great, David Boston. Bert Reed brings a valuable speed and quickness to the slot position, and Taiwan Easterling is poised for a breakout performance. Due to experience, the Red Zone, an area where ‘Nole receivers often disappeared last year, will instead be an area where they flourish.
Defensively, the ‘Noles will be stacked with athletes… but for the past 5 years, those athletes have not produced cohesive, consistent units capable of stopping the likes of Florida, Georgia Tech, and even Miami. Longtime Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews has retired and replacing him will be a coach with a lineage of defensive coaching prowess… Mark Stoops (brother of Bob and Mike of Oklahoma and Arizona, respectively). On the Defensive line, keep an eye on Everett Dawkins. The LBs will be fast, but must quickly adapt to the new schemes. That group will be headed by a player with immense talent and potential, Nigel Bradham, who has yet to harness it. The defensive secondary is where they might be the most solid, highlighted by 2009 Freshman All-American CB Greg Reid. Reid has the potential to be the best Seminole player so far this millennium and his versatility will be more widely used as he will return punts, as well as play some slot WR (according to Head Coach Jimbo Fisher). He is almost sure to garner All-ACC honors.
The biggest thing that will stand in FSU’s way of an ACC Championship and BCS bowl is their schedule. It is, in my opinion, the absolute toughest schedule in the Country. Their non-conference slate, consisting of Oklahoma, BYU, and Florida, is unrivaled by any team. And with the recent improvements by North Carolina, Clemson, and Boston College, the in-conference schedule is going to be challenging as well. This is one of the toughest teams to predict an outcome for. The talent on the roster would lead me to say that this team has NO BUSINESS getting less than 10 wins… but because of the difficulty of the schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them struggling to get 7 wins. We will know MUCH more about the Garnett and Gold’s 2010 prospects after their Week 2 foray to Norman, Oklahoma.
Key Returning Players:
QB Christian Ponder
WR Jarmon Fortson
RB Jermaine Thomas
OG Ronnie Hudson
OT Zerbie Sanders
LB Nigel Bradham
CB Greg Reid
Key Games:
Sept 11 - @ Oklahoma
Sept 18 - BYU
Oct 9 - @ Miami
Oct 16 - Boston College
Nov 6 - North Carolina
Nov 13 - Clemson
Nov 27 - Florida
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