Florida State Football: Return of Derwin James key to Playoff run
The Florida State Seminoles are a contender to make a College Football Playoff run in 2017. They will need a healthy Derwin James to take them there.
The Florida State Seminoles form part of the mega powers in the ACC with the Clemson Tigers. For a while, they were a forgotten power for most of the early 2000’s, but the Seminoles have regained their form under the guidance of Jimbo Fisher. A 78-17 record since Fisher put his fingerprints on the program has elevated the Seminoles.
After winning 27 of 28 games in the Jameis Winston era, the Seminoles have not been without their trials and adversity. Tough losses in big moments and key injuries have given the program more to battle with than they had hoped. Still, they have managed to win at least 10 games in each of their past two seasons.
Heading into the 2016 season, the Seminoles found themselves without a key component from a year of learning post-Jameis in 2015. Derwin James, one of Fisher’s proudest fines for the program yet, emerged as one of the best safeties in college football as just a true freshman.
The Haines City native made a quick impression on his teammates with his explosiveness and love of the game. Showing the signs of being a leader at such a young age really gave life to the Seminoles on defense. As fate would have it, James would have a little adversity of his own to go through.
During the team’s second game of the season, a tune up against Charleston Southern, James went down with a knee injury. With the unnerving fear that knee injuries put into people, just about everyone began holding their breath. James ended up suffering a tear to his lateral meniscus and further damage to the cartilage in his knee.
After a freshman season filled with promise, his sophomore season came to an end in a game the Seminoles had comfortably put away. With the excitement the young man brought to the program because of his tenacious play, it was as if some of the life had been sucked out of Doak Campbell Stadium.
James worked hard to get back to the field. Toward the end of the year, an excitement began to brew as he participated in some light warmups on the field before the team took on North Carolina State in a conference battle. Word began to circle that he might be able to return and help the Seminoles in their bowl game.
The program made the wise decision and chose to err on the side of caution. It turns out the Seminoles were able to hold on without their dynamic safety in one of the best bowl games of the college football season.
The Seminoles went to work early against the Michigan Wolverines in the Orange Bowl. Feeling they should have been in the College Football Playoff, the attention of the world revolved around the crew from Ann Arbor heading into the game.
Instead, Florida State held serve after a wacky, broken kickoff return and sent Dalvin Cook and others off in style with a New Year’s Six bowl win. The win and what should be another strong recruiting class feel as a springboard to what could potentially be a College Football Playoff run in 2017.
Quarterback Deondre Francois is another year older and will be on many awards watch lists. They have talent across the board and a coach that has taken the team to the promised land. To win it all, they need James playing like the player he was before the injury took him down.
Getting to the College Football Playoff is tough and Fisher knows what it takes to get there. While his program is 0-1 under the restructured format, players like James bring the intangibles you don’t see in a box score to rewrite history and get the Seminoles their first playoff win.
It isn’t just the talent or that he has the potential to be the top safety in the league that makes him so special. It’s the heart he possesses and the will and desire to be the best defensive back in the nation. Sure, having someone who can deliver a brutal hit and read the quarterback perfectly is nice but the will to be great can’t be replaced.
His first game back isn’t going to be Charleston Southern or an opponent of that ilk. He gets to test himself against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Having lost on the final play of the National Championship Game is going to make them more determined than ever to get a statement win in the first week of the season. That means James will be thrown into the fire in a playoff-like atmosphere.
As a competitor, these are the moments he lives for. Jalen Hurts and the Crimson Tide’s offense will be motivated to show that they can be more than just a defense. James will be tested early and often. If Florida State wants to be a playoff team, it will take more than just the first week of the season to get there, win or lose.
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It’s going to take a team that doesn’t let their trials get the best of them. A leader will have to step up and corral everyone in those critical moments when a play or two separates the season from College Football Playoff or not. James will be that man in the huddle if they’re to be playing on the biggest stage of them all.