Jacobbi McDaniel, Defensive Tackle: Florida State Football 2013 Preview

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.

No. 55 Jacobbi McDaniel| 6'0", 286 | RS Senior | Defensive Tackle

School Bio (Courtesy of Seminoles.com)

2012: Redshirt Season.

2011: True junior who was off to an outstanding start before suffering a season-ending ankle injury at Duke...played in each of FSU's first six games, including starts against No. 1 Oklahoma and at Duke...suffered a broken ankle in the opening series of the Duke game...had nine tackles including one tackle for loss in just over five games.

2010: True sophomore who was a fixture at defensive tackle for the Seminoles, despite playing most of the season with an elbow injury...started all 14 games...established new single-season highs with 31 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss...had two pass breakups on the season and collected his first career interception against Wake Forest...opened the year with a season-high two tackles for loss against Samford...had a season-best five tackles against Boston College, when the Seminoles limited the Eagles to minus-2 yards over 18 snaps in FSU territory.

2009: Played in all 13 games as a true freshman and made two starts, both at home against Georgia Tech and NC State...was extremely productive, leading all FSU interior linemen with 25 tackles, including 13 solo stops...registered four tackles for loss, including one against Miami in his FSU debut...followed a week later with two tackles for loss against Jacksonville State, which included his first career sack...forced fumbles against Jacksonville State and Boston College to share the team lead in that category...earned freshmen All-ACC honors from Sporting News and was on Phil Steele's third team Freshmen All-American squad.

PERSONAL: Regarded as one of the top high school players in the entire nation...ESPN and Sporting News rated him No. 5 prospect overall and No. 1 defensive tackle...a five-star prospect who earned USA Today first team All-American honors and was an Under Armour All-American...registered 22 sacks over his final two seasons at Madison County High...had 30 tackles for loss in leading his team to the 2A state title in 2007...a three-sport athlete who also played basketball and starred on the baseball diamond...batted .589 with 13 homers as a senior and was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 33rd round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft...chose FSU over Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Clemson...born October 8, 1989.

This spring we wrote:

Florida State welcomes back Jacobbi McDaniel from a nasty lower-leg injury he suffered in 2011 against Duke. McDaniel was playing extremely well at the time, but it is unknown how he will play in 2013. He smartly elected to sit out 2012 and try to regain the muscle he lost after the surgery and long rehab. Early reports from practice are good, however.

Jacobbi's broken ankle in 2011 looked to be the end of his FSU playing career to many. While completely heartbreaking to Noles fans, Florida State's excellent defensive tackle depth was able to absorb his loss in 2012, and would likely be able to do the same in 2013. However, #55's return after a redshirt rehab year gives the Seminoles a quality fifth option at defensive tackle, with the potential for important contributions depending on his health.

McDaniel has always been a talented player, and it will be interesting to see how Jeremy Pruitt will utilize him in his new scheme. As we mentioned in earlier defensive tackle previews, the Stoops philosophy of quicker nose players and longer 3-tech players may well be changed under Pruitt, and another consideration is the extent to which he'll use the three-man front. I don't think that Jacobbi will see much time as the pure nose on a three-man line, but he could be a valuable player at 3-tech, which he played during the spring game alongside Nile Lawrence-Stample. In any event, Florida State is extremely happy to have an experienced, quality player back on its defensive line to help eat up the 1600 departing snaps from 2012.

On a personal note, I would like to add how pleased I am to see McDaniel back for his RS senior season. He was an extremely important five-star recruit who was asked to do an enormous amount as a true freshman in 2009. Jacobbi was not afforded the luxury of taking the necessary time to develop as a college interior defensive lineman in a top notch strength and conditioning program as an incoming recruit to FSU would today. It forced him to play too many snaps early in his career, put on bad weight at times, and suffer through injuries. One can only imagine how much worse the 2009 dumpster fire defense would have been without his contributions, and the improved 2010 unit relied heavily on him as well as it amassed badly needed defensive tackle depth. I wish that we'd been able to see what this stud recruit could have been under the strength and conditioning program and necessary seasoning that he deserved, but I will always be grateful to Jacobbi McDaniel for the vital role he played on the Florida State defensive line during the transitional years that he was a member of the program. Here's to a great 2013, 55.