FSU linebacker Sh’Mar Kilby-Lane likely JUCO bound

Sh’Mar Kilby-Lane is no longer with Florida State’s football team, two sources confirmed to Tomahawk Nation Thursday. He has not been around workouts since spring. Friday, sources said he was likely heading to a junior college.

Tomahawk Nation’s reached out to Florida State Sports Information, but was told that the school was “working to get an answer on that one,” and could not confirm or deny as of Thursday afternoon.

Kilby-Lane, a former four-star recruit out of Hallandale (Fla.), enrolled at FSU ahead of the 2015 season. He emerged as a consistent special teams contributor as a true freshman, even contributing occasionally in the linebacking corps.

However, Kilby-Lane was deemed academically ineligible ahead of the 2016 season, causing him to miss the entire season. He was at spring practice on an inconsistent basis, bringing up further questions about his quest to regain eligibility.

Kilby-Lane’s departure leaves the Seminoles with six scholarship linebackers capable of playing inside, led by seniors Matthew Thomas and Ro’Derrick Hoskins as well as sophomore Dontavious Jackson. FSU also adds two more linebacker signees over the summer in DeCalon Brooks and four-star Leonard Warner.

Bud Elliott recently covered the potential attrition at linebacker.

With starters Matthew Thomas and Ro’Derrick Hoskins entrenched, most of the positions battles at the position have been for backup spots. And the leaders of those battles appear to be sophomores Emmett Rice, Dontavious Jackson, and Adonis Thomas.

Again, teams do not typically carry a lot of third-string upperclassmen. Fourth-year junior Delvin Purifoy was once a promising prospect, but has never been the same after a serious leg injury.

The greatest indicator of future eligibility troubles is past eligibility troubles. And at linebacker, this statement is worth watching. Classes get tougher, not easier, as a player moves up through college. Third-year linebacker Sh’Mar Kilby-Lane missed 2016 due to ineligibility, and fans will wait to see how far behind he is if he returns.