Noles News: Could FSU and Clemson both make playoff in 2023?

Recruiting

Four-star offensive tackle Guerby Lambert, considered the No. 1 player at his position in the class of 2024, reported a Florida State offer on Wednesday. Lambert, who is 6-6 and 280 pounds out of Massachusetts, also reports offers from the Georgia Bulldogs, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Ohio State Buckeys, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Stanford Cardinal and Tennessee Volunteers, amongst others:

2024 cornerback Aaron Scott, a four-star prospect out of Springfield, Ohio, also announced an FSU offer on Wednesday. Scott is considered the No. 13 cornerback in the 2024 class by the 247Sports Composite rankings and also reports offers from the Arkansas Razorbacks, Oklahoma Sooners, Ole Miss Rebels, Oregon Ducks, Purdue Boilermakers, USC Trojans, Cincinatti Bearcats, Louisville Cardinals and Pittsburgh Panthers, amongst others:

You can catch up on all the latest Florida State football recruiting news and pick the brains of our recruiting staff in the latest edition of our recruiting thread.

Class of 2024 commitments

QUARTERBACK: 4 star Luke Kromenhoek (GA)

RUNNING BACK: 5 star Kam Davis (GA)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Camdon Frier (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Tawaski “TJ” Abrams (FL)

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3 star Keishawn Mashburn (FL)

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3 star Jamorie Flagg (FL)

DEFENSIVE BACK: 4 star Jordan Pride (FL)

DEFENSIVE BACK: 4 star CJ Heard (GA)

KICKER: Jake Weinberg (FL)\

Football

ESPN’s Heather Dinich tackled five major questions surrounding the 2023 college football season, of which one centered around the chances of FSU and Clemson both making the final four-team College Football Playoff:

Can Clemson win the ACC at a time when Florida State is poised for a playoff run of its own under coach Mike Norvell?

The ACC, which has dismantled its divisions and this fall will pit its top two teams against each other in the conference championship game, should be a fascinating race highlighted by the two former Atlantic Division rivals. This could open the door for both Clemson and Florida State to have a top-four finish if their only losses are to each other — during the regular season and then the ACC championship game. Clemson would have wins against Notre Dame and South Carolina, while Florida State would have defeated LSU and Florida along the way.

2023 Florida State football schedule

Sunday, September 3: LSU Tigers (Orlando)

Saturday, September 9: Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Saturday, September 16: at Boston College Eagles

Saturday, September 23: at Clemson Tigers

Saturday, September 30: BYE

Saturday, October 7: Virginia Tech Hokies

Saturday, October 14: Syracuse Orange

Saturday, October 21: Duke Blue Devils

Saturday, October 28: at Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Saturday, November 4: at Pittsburgh Panthers

Saturday, November 11: Miami Hurricanes

Saturday, November 18: North Alabama Lions

Saturday, November 25: at Florida Gators

Basketball

With the most losses in a single season just one game away, Florida State basketball is at a crossroads — what’s next for a program that went from an also-ran to a nationally recognized #NewBlood brand, only to have it go up in flames this year? Michael Rogner, as per the status quo, tackles the question with a look at the legacy of Leonard Hamilton and what has gone wrong just a few years removed from a possible national title run.

Florida State women’s hoops, who have navigated their own crossroads this season to find themselves as the No. 23-ranked team in the country, is set to face the Wake Foret Demon Deacons on the road.

From FSU Sports Info:

— Picked ninth in the ACC predicted order of finish, Florida State Women’s Basketball is looking to clinch a Top-4 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. Entering Thursday’s game at Wake Forest, FSU is tied for fourth in the league with Louisville and would be the No. 5 seed if the season ended today.

— The Seminoles (22-7, 11-5) are looking to snap a two-game losing skid at Wake Forest, last getting a win in Winston-Salem on Jan. 23, 2020, in a 70-65 victory.

— Florida State has shown a remarkable scoring jump from one season ago, improving its scoring by 17.0 points per game from 65.3 in 2021-22 to 82.3 points per game this season. FSU ranks sixth nationally in scoring offense, first in the ACC and has scored 70 or more points in 28 of 29 games this year.

— Since the 2009-10 season, Ta’Niya Latson is just the sixth freshman to record 30 points or more in at least seven games. In nearly 25 percent of her games this season, she has dropped 30 or more against an opponent. The last freshman to record 30 or more points seven or more times was Caitlin Clark of Iowa, who had 12 games in 2020-21. The other freshmen in that group include Kennedy Carter (7), Kelsey Mitchell (7), Kevi Luper (8) and Elena Delle Donne (8).

— Florida State defeated Wake Forest at home, 72-44, on Feb. 2 behind a 21-4 outburst in the second quarter. Senior Sara Bejedi had a +21 rating in the game because of her strong defense against the Demon Deacon primary scorers.

— The Seminoles have built a strong post-season résumé, owning three AP Top 25 wins over Duke (70-57), North Carolina (78-71) and NC State (91-72), five wins against the NET Top 50 and 15 wins against the NET Top 100.

— Florida State looks to move to 5-0 against the ACC’s schools from North Carolina this season if it can win on Thursday in Winston-Salem.

— In her interim season as head coach in 2020-21, Brooke Wyckoff took an FSU team predicted eighth in the ACC to a No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament. She is looking to do the same in what is her first season as the permanent head coach for a squad predicted ninth in the league.

Softball

No. 6 Florida State softball is set for a busy couple of days in Tallahassee, kicking things off the right way with a dramatic win over the University of North Florida Ospreys.

Up next for the Seminoles:

Thursday, Feb. 23

6 p.m. – Florida State vs. Florida Gulf Coast (ACCNX)

Friday, Feb. 24

2:30 p.m. – Florida State vs. Lamar (ACCNX)

4:45 p.m. – Florida State vs. Florida Gulf Coast (ACCNX)

Saturday, Feb. 25

2:30 p.m. – Florida State vs. Lamar (ACCNX)

4:45 p.m. – Florida State vs. Troy (ACCNX)

All Sports

The Florida State women’s tennis team, 5-3 on the season, will face Syracuse on Friday and Boston College on Sunday to start off ACC play.

Florida State beach volleyball players Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff were named to the CCSA Preseason All-Conference team:

Anderson, a junior from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was a unanimous selection to the preseason team which she was also named to before last season.She earned All-Conference, All-Academic, and All-Tournament honors in 2022 when she posted a 31-12 record. She helped lead the Seminoles to their sixth straight CCSA Championship title and a No. 2 finish after reaching the NCAA National Championship match.

Kalkoff is in her first season at FSU after transferring from FIU where she posted a 24-8 record last season. The junior from Cincinnati, Ohio was named First Team USA All-Conference and an AVCA Second Team All-American in 2022.

Florida State is ranked No. 2 in the country in the preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll released last week.

FSU will open the season as hosts of the Seminole Beach Bash on February 25-26th.