Seminoles bolster defense with emerging redshirt freshmen
Even before the season began, there were questions about how Florida State’s defensive line could build on its progress demonstrated last season with the losses of Jermaine Johnson II and Keir Thomas.
Entering Saturday night’s late conference matchup at No. 14 N.C. State (4-1, 0-1 ACC), the answer is yes.
Redshirt senior Robert Cooper and Fabien Lovett have anchored the tackle spots while transfer Jared Verse and a combination of Derrick McLendon II, Dennis Briggs Jr. and Leonard Warner III have stepped up at the ends. But injuries to Lovett and Verse have forced the Seminoles to rely on younger talent.
Redshirt freshmen Joshua Farmer and Patrick Payton have taken on increased roles up front along with redshirt sophomore Malcolm Ray and true freshman Daniel Lyons. FSU can rotate 6-8 players on the defensive line.
It’s a bonus for Florida State (4-1, 2-1 ACC ), which is in the middle of a three-game stretch that includes hosting No. 5 Clemson next week.
Payton and Farmer recorded sacks in the loss to Wake Forest last week.
“Patrick Payton and Josh Farmer are kind of growing up and that showed up a couple of times,” said defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.
“Patrick, the last three games, has shown he’s ready to play Division I football,” coach Mike Norvell said of Payton, who has 11 tackles and 2 sacks this season. “I love it. He’s still at the infant stages
of what he’s going to be. He has remarkable potential.
“Josh Farmer was feeling his way into it [during the Louisville game]. These last two games, you feel them on film. You see the explosiveness and power. It was great to see him get in there and get a sack.”
With more than 30 career starts under his belt at tackle, Cooper is the veteran of the frontline and he’s noticed the improvement out of the younger players, especially Farmer.
“He’s come a long way after all the things he went through last year,” said Cooper. “He was having a hard time picking everything
up, but now you see everything is coming more smoothly for him.”
Lyons is another player who caught the attention of coaches and teammates.
A 3-star standout from Homestead, he made his college debut against Duquesne in the opener but has seen his playing time increase recently.
“I didn’t know when it would show up for Daniel with opportunity but he’s made the most of it,” said Norvell. “He can absolutely be in that defensive line rotation. He showed he could make productive plays while he was out there.”
Added Cooper: “The first thing I noticed about Daniel when he came in was that he reminded me of myself, how eager he was to start learning the plays. You can tell he’s taking all the stuff he’s learning in the meetings to the field.”