South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)

Seminoles lose OL Lyles to season-ending injury

- By Matt Murschel | Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@ orlandosen­tinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurs­chel.

Florida State offensive lineman Kayden Lyles will miss this upcoming season with an injury.

Lyles, a graduate transfer from Wisconsin, announced the news on social media Wednesday.

“I know all too well that injuries are a part of playing football at the highest level. Unfortunat­ely, I will not be able to be on the field this season, but I came to Florida State to make an impact on this program and that is still what I will do,” Lyles posted on Twitter. “We have a group of dedicated offensive linemen, and I am going to use the experience­s I’ve gained through five years of playing college football to help them develop any way I can.

“Thank you to everyone for the support. I’m going to approach every day with the mindset of improvemen­t, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this team will do this season.”

Coach Mike Norvell addressed Lyles’ status following practice, confirming the injury happened last week.

“I hate it for him just for the work he’s put in,” said Norvell. “He’s done a great job since he’s got here. We’ll explore all options moving forward.

“He’s going to actively be a part of what we’re doing but unfortunat­ely it won’t be on the field for us this year.”

FSU spent much of the past two seasons building up depth on the offensive line, signing eight high school recruits and five transfers, including Lyles. He was among a group of four players to join the team this offseason, along with Bless Harris (Lamar), D’Mirti Emmanuel (Charlotte) and Jazston Turnetine (South Carolina).

Lyles appeared in 34 games with 16 starts and participat­ed in 717 offensive snaps during his time with the Badgers. He was expected to contend for a starting spot, possibly at the center where the Seminoles were looking for a replacemen­t for Baveon Johnson.

Norvell expects to work out as many as five or six players at center over the remaining two weeks of preseason camp. He pointed to the versatilit­y of Dillan Gibbons, Darius Washington and Maurice Smith as possible solutions.

“That’s one position; you always have to have a plan if something happens,” said Norvell. “As we get out of camp, there’s going to be more continuity, but guys are working at it and taking snaps daily. Losing Kayden takes a hit to the depth chart, but we have a great plan moving forward.”

Lyles’ dedication to the team, even though he won’t be playing, is something that impressed Norvell.

“He loves this team,” he said. “This guy comes in and embraces the team and culture. He brought things here from a leadership perspectiv­e. When I got the news of what the injury was and it would cost him this year, he was emotional, but even now he was thinking of ways to make an impact.”

FSU travels to the University of North Florida for several practices on Thursday and Friday.

 ?? MORRY GASH/AP ?? Kayden Lyles, who joined the Seminoles as a graduate transfer and was expected to play a significan­t role, went down with a season-ending injury last week.
MORRY GASH/AP Kayden Lyles, who joined the Seminoles as a graduate transfer and was expected to play a significan­t role, went down with a season-ending injury last week.

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