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How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Rebuild

Despite what a few of you weirdos believe, FSU just closed with arguably its best class of the Jimbo Fisher Era. Beckner would have been great. In the parallel universe where we get Iman Marshall, human beings don't store more than 8% body fat, so everybody has shredded abs, and nobody follows recruiting on social media because it's nothing but selfies. Well-lit selfies from what we, in this universe, consider unflattering angles. No one watches much football. Iman Marshall isn't even that good over there. But he's all Nole.

I'm very excited about 2015. Not because I think we'll have another undefeated regular season and compete for the Playoffs (we won't). I'm not terribly confident we'll even compete for the ACC (Clemson is going to be really good). But let's set aside wins and losses for a moment, because this is essentially a "rebuilding year" for FSU, which means expectations should be far more reasonable. This season is about developing talent, finding out what the younger players are made of.

Heading into spring practice, here's what I can't wait to find out.

Will We Be Offended By the Offensive Line

We're losing a ton of veterans. Erving, Matias and Jackson were invaluable over the last couple of seasons. But we have a lot of young talent stepping up, and it isn't all entirely raw. Rod Johnson was arguably the best true freshman left tackle in the country last season. Top JUCOs Kareem Are and Chad Mavety should be ready to step up after a year of Trickett's coaching. Wilson Bell will be a RS Soph, and certainly physically ready to take the other guard position, with two years of Trickett under his belt. We asked a lot of Ryan Hoefield at center this season, and it isn't entirely his fault that he couldn't deliver. I think he'll be a lot more ready to contribute this fall.

How will this line gel? No idea. But there could also be some competition, as we added a ton of great OL talent in 2014. Guys like Corey Martinez, Derrick Kelly, Alec Eberle. We have more young talent at OL than ever before during the Jimbo Fisher Era, and they have awesome linemen-y names like Brock Ruble and Cole Minshew. We have plenty of reason to believe it'll come together in 2015.

The Answer Is: Dalvin Cook Says Hi

"What is: the thing you say when UF fans try to talk smack about recruiting?"

Dalvin Cook may be the best running back Florida State has ever had. Including the best of the Bowden Era. Everybody loves Warrick Dunn. I love Warrick Dunn. Dalvin Cook is better. In fact, I don't think FSU has ever had a group of running backs this good. Mario Pender and Ryan Green have struggled to remain healthy (and, in Pender's case, eligible) but they were blue chip recruits, like incoming freshman Jacques Patrick. All of them talented enough to start just about anywhere in the nation, our four-deep. Five stars bookending four stars. An embarrassment of wealth at this position.

Keep in mind: four seasons ago, our rotation at RB included Carlton "Ty" Jones and Jermaine Thomas.

Izzo and Saunders -- Coming This Fall to TNT

Could easily be a sassy lady cop show, or equally-sassy buddy lawyer show. Izzo brings the sass, but Saunders is all business. I can't wait to find out what the dynamic is here. I hope it leads to Brewster calling them into his office to tell them they just destroyed ten city blocks, he's got Commissioner Jimbo so far up his ass he's literally breathing down his neck, and he wants their badges and guns, right now!

Nick O'Leary was a 4 star and fundamentally changed FSU football. Izzo and Saunders are both 4 stars. They're both taller than O'Leary. Saunders, in particular, seems to have the potential to be special. A freak athlete. FSU has never had a pair of TEs like this before. If Tim Brewster can coach TEs at all like he recruits, in the immortal words of Dr. Emmett Brown, when Izzo and Saunders reach 88mph, we're gonna see some serious fecal matter.

No, really. If these guys can run 88mph we will poop ourselves. Science.

When I Say Give Me All The Wide Receivers You Have, I Don't Mean Give Me A Lot of Wide Receivers. I Mean Give Me All the Wide Receivers You Have.

How did this happen? When spring practice starts, we'll have three five stars (Rudolph, Lane, Campbell) in the mix. Rashad Greene wasn't a five star. Kelvin Benjamin wasn't a five star. Kenny Shaw wasn't a five star. They were all four stars, like Da'Vante Phillips, who will also be in the mix. Tonight Jimbo Fisher said Ja'Von Harrison, also a four star, is more talented than Rudolph or Lane. Maybe it's coach speak. But assuming he stays at WR, that's five blue chips, all underclassmen. Six if you count four star Isaiah Jones.

They're all tall. They're all strong. They're all fast. And they're all going to be better this fall than they are now.

It's a little bit scary moving forward without Rashad Greene. Jameis Winston knows what I mean. He targeted him like 48 times against Oklahoma State. Our veteran receivers (Wilson, Whitfield) aren't our best receivers, and that gap will only grow wider. It will be very interesting to see who our next starting quarterback develops confidence in, and chemistry with.

Desolation of SMag

And I do think Sean Maguire is our next starting quarterback, and I don't think there's really any debate. No one knows the offense better. JJ Cosentino probably has the best shot to overtake him. Jameis Winston took a redshirt, and so will Deondre and De'Andre (coming this fall to the CW).

A lot of fans seem to hate Sean Maguire, and I really don't get it. He wasn't supposed to start the Clemson game. Within 24 hours, he wasn't supposed to finish the Clemson game. Clemson had the #1 defense in the land, primarily because of their pass rush, which our OL could barely stop. Maguire should have died. Instead he threw for 300+ yards. It wasn't pretty or perfect, but, Maguire is undefeated as a starter. Even Jameis Winston can't say that anymore.

Joining us now with greater insight into how Maguire is actually a vastly superior quarterback to Winston is Clay Travis...

I'll be curious to see if Cosentino can compete with Maguire this spring. And maybe De'Andre Johnson will get in the mix. Who knows. Whatever happens, I have every confidence that whoever starts at QB for FSU this fall will be capable of executing the offense enough to take advantage of our obscene talent and depth at every skill position.

We have talent enough to scheme around limitations at QB, which Jimbo has done before. Except this time we have a lot more talent. Like, a lot more.

Defense and Stuff

I am tired, and really don't have a good idea what our 2015 defense will look like, so this will be brief and completely lacking insight, so, look for this portion of my post to appear soon on Bleacher Report.

People freaked out today because we didn't get Terry Beckner Jr. Okay. But last year we did get Demarcus Christmas, and Derrick Nnadi. And Arthur Williams, who has blue chip upside. Adam Torres and Fred Jones if you think we should've just taken "bodies".

Derrick Mitchell will be back. Nile Lawrence Stample will be back.

Maybe Keith Bryant will get it together. He'll only be a RS Soph.

We're thin at linebacker, but, Terrance Smith will be back. And Jacob Pugh. Delvin Purifoy will be healthy and, hopefully, Matthew Thomas will be drug free. Sh'Mar Kilby-lane and Lorenzo Phillips should make an immediate impact. Particularly Phillips.

Chris Casher and Demarcus Walker should get better. They'll both only be entering their junior years. And now they'll be coached by Brad F'n Lawing. Maybe Lorenzo Featherston will put on some good weight in the next eight months. He's only 18, after all. And what about that other 6'7 monster from the 2014 class, Rick Leonard? I bet Lawing has some ideas for him.

Oh, and that kid Josh Sweat. I hear he's pretty good.

If we can get our front seven right, I think it'll take a lot of pressure off of our secondary. Where there's also plenty of talent, if not pure cornerbacks.

Jalen Ramsey.

Freshmen will contribute. Derwin James, without question. Tarvaris McFadden. Marcus Lewis. And I think we'll finally get to know guys like Malique Jackson, Marquez White and Trey Marshall. Maybe Colin Blake, if he can stay healthy.

Embrace Low Expectations

By August, I doubt we'll be favored to win the ACC. It'll be Clemson. And Clemson may very well beat us in Death Valley. The kind of season we have depends in large part on how it all comes together. How the defense develops in year 2 under Charles Kelly (while replacing both starting cornerbacks, and our best DL). How an almost entirely new group on the OL comes together. Who steps up in the absence of Jameis Winston, Rashad Greene, Nick O'Leary.

Questions upon questions upon questions. Much like the first season of LOST. Which, yeah, in retrospect, was a great season of television. But while I was watching it for the first time, polar bears, the french woman, the hatch, the numbers, Sun secretly speaking english, I had no expectations. I was just along for the ride, and I loved every minute of it. It was, actually, way better than a few seasons later, when everybody expected it to go somewhere and accomplish something transcendent.

We're only eight months away, guys. Get excited.

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