Florida State Football Season Player Preview 2013: Jacob Fahrenkrug

Florida State football kicks off on Labor day at Pitt. Tomahawk Nation previews the season up until that date by analyzing every player and other key issues facing the 2013 Seminoles.

#60 Jacob Fahrenkrug | RS-SR. | Center | 6-4 322

Fahrenkrug was a composite 4-star recruit at guard for the recruiting class of 2011. He really struggled in 2011, as we chronicled in his preview piece last year:

Performance review in short, Fahrenkrug played how you expect for an average 1st-year JUCO lineman. But Fahrenkrug wasn't an average JUCO offensive line recruit. He was one of the top-rated JUCO offensive line recruits. And in that context, his performance was disappointing...There were moments of awful, juxtaposed with powerful, sweeping blocks - the "lightbulb" moments, as it were.

Fahrenkrug turned in a very poor performance against a healthy OU defense, featuring turnstile-blocks and an inability to play in space. He rebounded nicely against Wake, but not before struggling mightily again at Clemson. Against Duke, his performance was mixed, but he continued to show improvement. False starts were a problem for him, flagged once in each of the NCSU and UMD. games. Bud did credit him with 6 nice blocks in the Maryland game.

Fahrenkrug started all 12 regular season games in 2011, but missed the bowl due to a shoulder injury, practicing sparsely prior to the game. Based on how bad his play was in the Noles loss to Virginia after he had shown improvement throughout the season, his injuries may have begun earlier than bowl practice.

Fahrenkrug has battled hip, ankle, and repeated shoulder injuries during his time here at FSU. He missed this spring due to shoulder injuries, and his availability and durability going into the 2013 season are major question marks.

He played in 4 games last year before suffering an injury that kept him out of the remaining schedule. Fahrenkrug had 3 years to play 2, and was able to get a medical redshirt after taking snaps in the first four games last year. (Editor's note: I'm a little confused on how he got it, as Rule 14.2.4 states that a player must not have played in more than 3 games or 30% of the season's schedule (~3.6 football games) to qualify) Poster whodoes: For purposes of hardship calculation, fractions are rounded up (Bylaw 14.2.4.3.6.2). Also, I think the conference championship game is included in the calculation (Bylaw 14.2.4.3.6.1.1.1). Either way, the fraction (whether 3.6 or 3.9) would be rounded up to four. So he could participate in 4 games and no more.

His best game in 2012 came against Murray State, though he only graded out at 79% on 19 snaps against the completely overmatched opponent.

Though cross-trained and unquestionably a hard-worker, Jacob Fahrenkrug will be testing the value of his degree as he likely goes pro in something other than sports.