Bonus Coverage: #5 LSU at #8 Florida State; Orlando; 7:30 PM ET; ABC … When the 2023 college football schedule came out earlier this year a half dozen or so games jumped off the page as must-see, key contests with huge national playoff implications. This was one of them. LSU comes ranked 5th in pre-season polls, while the resurgent Seminoles are 8th. And truth be told, both teams could be higher as they both loaded with talent top to bottom. Indeed, one of the key college football questions this past off-season was ‘Are the Seminoles back?’ as Florida State returns just about everybody from a team that went 10-3 last fall which included a 6-game win streak to finish the year. Those returnees include DE Jared Verse (#5, 6-4, 260), an explosive edge rusher with top 5-10 potential who somewhat surprisingly opted to return to school for the upcoming campaign. The ‘Noles also have a number of other players with late first/early second round potential in WRs Johnny Wilson (6#14, 6-2, 240) and Keon Coleman (#4, 6-4, 215), along with CB Fentrell Cypress (#23, 6-0, 190), while QB Travis Jordan (#13, 6-1, 215), RB Trey Benson (#3, 6-0, 225), TE Jaheim Bell (#6, 6-3, 240), DTs Fabian Lovett (#0, 6-3, 320) and Braden Fiske (#55, 6-4, 300), and S Akeem Dent (#1, 6-0, 190) are all solid veterans with mid-to-late round grades.
The Tigers have been on a pretty nice draft run in recent years as LSU has had a player selected with a top 5 pick in five of the past 7 years. That included 2020 when QB Joe Burrow was the first player taken overall. It may be a bit of a stretch for the Tigers to extend that streak this year, but they do have a very good chance of at least getting back into the top ten as rising DT Maason Smith (#0, 6-5, 310) is one of the more intriguing prospects this year. He’s a freakish athlete with a great motor who looked all the part of top 5-10 pick during a breakout fresh year in 2021, but barely played last fall after tearing an ACL just minutes into the Tigers’ season opener. However, pro scouts will have to wait another week to get a feel where Smith is in his recovery as he won’t play against the ‘Noles as he has been suspended for accepting some improper benefits that pre-dated the NCAA’s new NIL guidelines. The rest of the LSU D-line will play, though, and its a really good one that also includes DT Mehki Wingo (#18, 6-1, 295), a solid second-day candidate in his own right, along with DEs Harold Perkins (#4, 6-1, 220), the early favorite to be the first player selected at the 2025 draft, and Savion Jones (#35, 6-6, 275), who hasn’t played mush to date, but is a freakish athlete and imposing size with a huge upside. Meanwhile, WR Malik Nabers (#8, 6-0, 200) is another rising LSU star with first-round potential, while dual-threat QB Jayden Daniels (#5, 6-3, 210) is an intriguing second-tier prospect at the position. Other Tigers to watch in the middle and late rounds next spring include LB Omar Speights (#1, 6-1, 235) and safety Greg Brooks (#3, 5-10, 190.) At the same, ER Perkins is only one of several top prospects for 2025 that also includes OT Will Campbell (#66, 6-6, 315) and TE Mason Taylor (#86, 6-6, 255).
Enjoy!
