Florida State Football: Depth Will Prove Invaluable as Season Moves Along

Florida State often puts points on the board with players like Jameis Winston, Rashad Greene and Karlos Williams. And the Seminoles have one of the nation's top defenses because of Jalen Ramsey and Mario Edwards Jr.

But FSU often wins games with depth and talent stockpiled from top recruiting classes that coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff have assembled. FSU's 2013 class was ranked 12th in the nation and the 2014 class was ranked third.

No. 1 FSU routed The Citadel 37-12 and Winston was accurate, completing 22-of-27 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns (in just under three quarters). But a week after he focused in on Greene for 11 of his 25 completions in a 37-31 win over Oklahoma State, Winston spread the ball around to eight receivers.

He connected with sophomore Jesus "Bobo" Wilson for three receptions and a touchdown. True freshman Ermon Lane caught three passes for 37 yards. Sophomore fullback Freddie Stevenson had two more receptions and true freshman Ja'Vonn Harrison had his first college catch.

True freshman Dalvin Cook, Florida's Mr. Football in 2013, led the Seminoles in carries (13) and rushing yards (67) on Saturday in his first college game.

"For his first time out there, you can see the talent and see the ability," Fisher said. "Guy's going to be one heck of a football player."

Freshmen and sophomores. They provided significant performances in the big picture. Not just on Saturday night, in dispatching an overmatched Football Championship Series team. But for the long haul, which is both the rest of the season and in 2015—when many will be competing for starting jobs.

Fisher coined the phrase last year—"Play don't care who makes it." And it's a mantra that all of the players, from the redshirt seniors to the true freshmen, have embraced.

Even the seniors know how important the new kids are to FSU's success and the Seminoles' attempt to repeat as national champions.

"I remember back when I first started playing on defense—I was very unsure of myself," senior left tackle Cameron Erving said. "I'm sure you've heard coach Fisher say it once if you haven't heard him say it twice: The development of this team depends on how fast these young guys can develop and create depth."

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Wilson traveled to FSU's season opener against Oklahoma State but, in a motivational move by Fisher, made sure that the receiver would suffer from the sideline by watching his teammates play. He was suspended for the season opener after he reached a plea deal stemming from his theft of a motor scooter in June.

Watching the Oklahoma State game in person was the ultimate punishment. On Saturday, Wilson made the most of his playing time.

"I overcame a lot of adversity," Wilson said. "It just felt great being back out with my brothers. Catching a touchdown pass from Jameis—he told me he was going to get me one."

The most concerning part of the win is the unknown. FSU lost three defensive tackles—Eddie Goldman, Justin Shanks and Nile Lawrence-Stample—to leg injuries. Goldman was injured on the first drive and out for the game. Shanks was gone on the second drive. And Lawrence-Stample later on.

It's a tremendous blow to FSU if any of the three are not able to play in the next game, on Sept. 20 when the Seminoles host Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener. When defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan left for the NFL after his junior season, it made that position a priority to find young prospects who could not necessarily fill his shoes but learn on the fly and develop into the next generation of stars.

True freshman Derrick Nnadi emerged on Saturday, seeing playing time and making three tackles. Redshirt freshman Keith Bryant had two tackles.

Who knows what their role is moving forward but, if any of the injuries to the upperclassmen are severe, they're going to be part of the rotation at defensive tackle.

"Everybody's getting out there, getting their feet wet," Ramsey said. "That's important because we'll need them later on in the season. The young guys getting experience is really good for us."

Bob Ferrante is the Florida State Lead Writer for Bleacher Report, all quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bob on Twitter. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.