No. 10 Florida State built a College Football Playoff-caliber roster in 2023 by threading a perfect needle between transfer portal additions and internal development. Naturally, the Seminoles tried the strategy again over the offseason, reeling in 17 transfers and the No. 7 transfer class in the nation.
But if a 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, for Week 0 is any indication, lightning rarely strikes twice.
The Seminoles didn’t look “back” to business by any means against the Yellow Jackets, or back to the levels of Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher that made them a national power. Instead, they were “back” to looking like a group playing together for the first time ever, more reminiscent of Mike Norvell’s early years.
Looking down the roster, it’s easy to see why.
The Seminoles replaced experienced quarterback Jordan Travis with Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei. He failed to reach 200 yards passing. Wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson are in the NFL. Top transfer Malik Benson had just 39 yards receiving. Transfer running back Roydell Williams mustered just 3.2 yards per carry. A full 58 of Florida State’s 98 yards rushing came on the first scripted drive of the game.
Florida State entered the season boasting — supposedly — the nation’s best defensive line, despite losing Jared Verse and Braden Fiske to the NFL. Georgia Tech’s offensive line bulldozed them to the tune of 5.3 yards per carry, including 6.4 yards per carry from running backs. The entire defensive line, including Georgia transfer Marvin Jones, combined for 0.5 tackles for loss. Florida State, conversely, gave up three tackles for loss to defensive linemen and seven TFLs overall.
Everywhere Florida State hoped to seamlessly plug a hole,…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/florida-states-season-opening-dud-against-georgia-tech-shows-transfer-portal-success-cant-patch-every-hole/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2024-08-24 20:39:23
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