FSU Seminoles

The last Cornellius Carradine had heard, his teammate was going to be fine.

The X-rays had shown no break, and Brandon Jenkins' foot injury was supposed to be minor. By Monday night, however, Carradine's Facebook page was littered with friends wanting the scoop on Jenkins' status, and the Internet was buzzing with news that the Florida State All-American would miss the entirety of the 2012 season.

It wasn't until Tuesday morning that Carradine was able to talk to his teammate, but by then, he wasn't interested in the injury.

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The redshirt is coming off one of Florida State's freshman defensive ends. The question now is, which one?

Jimbo Fisher said Tuesday that either Mario Edwards Jr. or Chris Casher will move into the rotation at defensive end after Brandon Jenkins was lost for the year with a foot injury, but he's not likely to decide which one until seeing both players go through this week's practices.

"We'll see which one takes that next step and jumps up," Fisher said. "They'll be getting the reps. How fast things can change in 24 hours."

Monday afternoon, Fisher was adamant that both players would be redshirted for the season, and Edwards, the consensus No. 1 recruit in the nation a year ago, wasn't even dressed or on the sideline for Saturday's opener against Murray State when Jenkins got hurt.

Both players were in scout-team jerseys during Tuesday's early workouts in practice, but Fisher said Edwards and Casher will both get regular reps with the second-team defense in hopes the coaching staff can pin down which player deserves a chance Saturday against Savannah State.

"We'll put them with the twos, try to get them as many reps as we can and see which one is ready and can comprehend the game plan," Fisher said.

It's also possible both players could have their redshirts removed, and Fisher said he's been relatively pleased with how the two have progressed throughout the fall.

"Both have the ability to do those things (in a game)," Fisher said. "There's physical ability, and I was very pleased with the progress they were making in camp. We'll have to see how one of those two grab that opportunity."

Casher didn't play his senior season in high school, and at nearly 300 pounds, Edwards checks in on the heavy side for a defensive end.

Those are the primary reasons Fisher was aiming to redshirt the pair, but FSU is hopeful at least one can learn on the fly.

"Both of them compete," redshirt freshman Giorgio Newberry said. "They play with a motor, and I think once they get in -- they'll be nervous a few times, but after that, they'll be ready."

Every week, RecruitingNation sends out a fleet of writers to report from high school football games across the country. From the Road breaks down the top performances by the recruits they saw in person over the weekend.

If Florida State is going to live up to its preseason hype this year, it is going to have to do it now without its top two defensive players from a year ago.

The Seminoles are going to be without preseason All-America defensive end Brandon Jenkins for the rest of the season, a difficult enough proposition on its own. But couple that with the loss of cornerback/returner Greg Reid -- kicked off the team this summer -- and the Noles are sitting with a major talent deficit.

What helps is that Florida State has depth at defensive end, and young players with potential in the secondary. Senior Cornellius Carradine will step into the starting job for Jenkins. He has experience, and he played well against Murray State on Saturday after Jenkins got hurt, making nine tackles. The Noles also have redshirt freshman Giorgio Newberry and senior Toshmon Stevens and could consider pulling the redshirt from highly touted Mario Edwards Jr., the No. 1 player on the ESPN 150 for the class of 2012.

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It had been months since Bjoern Werner had been at full strength, after shoulder surgery robbed him of spring practice and curbed his workout routine.

In the interim, Florida State's conditioning coaches had ardently preached about the importance of diet, proper nutrition, fueling a player's body with more than junk food and Muscle Milk. Werner thought little of it. He was simply excited to get back into seven-on-seven drills, to test out the shoulder and dish out a few hits.

He weighed in at the start of summer, and the numbers weren't surprising. He'd always been heavier. This is where his power came from, he assumed. Then came a body fat analysis, and Werner was shocked.

"I can't tell you what it was," Werner said. "But it was bad."

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A quick look how Week 1's performances for Florida State's top competition for postseason awards:

RISING

K Dustin Hopkins, Sr. (Groza): The odds-on favorite to win the Groza award had a solid start to the season, connecting on two short field goals, converting all eight PATs and booting five touchbacks.

CB Xavier Rhodes, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe): Playing opposite two newcomers at corner, Rhodes finished with five tackles and an interception, as Murray State failed to complete a pass for more than 16 yards.

DE Bjoern Werner, Jr. (Lombardi, Nagurski): It was a dominant performance for FSU on Saturday, but no one was more dominant than Werner, who racked up four sacks, five tackles for a loss and one forced fumble. The slimmed-down Werner stepped to the forefront of an impressive group of D-linemen for postseason awards.

HOLDING STEADY

DT Everett Dawkins, Sr. (Outland): Dawkins didn't record a tackle against Murray State, but he was an anchor on a defensive line that utterly dominated the Racers, including stuffing the running game to the tune of 1.2 yards per carry.

LB Christian Jones, Jr. (Butkus): Jones had just one tackle in his new role as the weakside linebacker, but it came when he sniffed out a screen pass and brought the receiver down in the backfield.

S Lamarcus Joyner, Jr. (Bednarik, Nagurski, Thorpe): Joyner finished with five solo tackles against Murray State in limited duty.

DT Timmy Jernigan, So. (Outland): Getting his first career start in place of injured Anthony McCloud, Jernigan stoned Murray State's running game and picked up two tackles, including one for a loss.

FALLING

WR Willie Haulstead, Jr. (Biletnikoff): Haulstead's selection to this watch list was a bit perplexing to begin with considering he missed all of last season with a concussion. He did see action Saturday -- his first since 2010 -- but didn't record a catch.

QB EJ Manuel, Sr. (Maxwell, O'Brien): It's not that Manuel didn't play well in the opener, but his stat line -- 16-for-22 for 188 yards and one TD -- won't compare to the gaudy numbers some other quarterbacks posted against lower-tier Week 1 opponents.

DE Brandon Jenkins, Sr. (Bednarik, Camp, Lombardi/Rotary, Nagurski): Jenkins picked up his first sack of the season in the first quarter against Murray State, then left with a foot injury. Jimbo Fisher said the injury isn't serious, but reports Monday night indicated Jenkins could miss the season.

LB Nick Moody, Sr. (Butkus): Moody chipped in on one tackle for loss in Saturday's opener, but Fisher was less than complimentary of his senior following his first start at strongside linebacker.

On Monday afternoon, Jimbo Fisher praised the depth of talent he had at defensive end, suggesting there simply wouldn't be playing time for freshmen Mario Edwards Jr. and Chris Casher, two of the nation's top recruits.

By Monday night, however, things had changed.

All-ACC defensive end Brandon Jenkins will miss the season with a foot injury, and while the Seminoles are well stocked at the position to overcome the loss, Fisher might now need to reconsider whether he'll redshirt both of his freshmen.

With Jenkins sidelined, senior Cornellius Carradine will step into the starting job. Carradine led all FSU defenders with nine tackles against Murray State, including two for a loss. Carradine recorded 5.5 sacks last season, his first at Florida State after transferring from Butler Community College.

Redshirt freshman Giorgio Newberry and senior Toshmon Stevens both saw extensive playing time against Murray State on Saturday, and Fisher could consider that enough depth to move forward.

But while the decision to redshirt Edwards seemed clear-cut just a day earlier, Jenkins' injury clearly complicates matters.

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Mario Edwards Jr. might have been the No. 1 recruit in the nation a year ago, but Jimbo Fisher said the freshman is No. 5 on Florida State's defensive end depth chart, which means he won't get any playing time in 2012.

Fisher said the lack of available reps behind incumbents Bjoern Werner, Brandon Jenkins and Cornellius Carradine led the coaching staff to decide to redshirt Edwards despite a strong performance during fall camp.

"You've got three guys that are possible first- or second-round draft pick guys," Fisher said of his depth chart at the position. "To waste a year on a guy for five, six, seven plays a game makes no sense. We can play him five, six or seven plays, but how much do you gain? There's a lot more to lose in our opinion."

Edwards is one of 10 FSU freshmen expected to redshirt this season, but he was the only one not dressed for Florida State's opener against Murray State on Saturday.

Fisher said it was Edwards' decision not to dress, and that each redshirt player is given the choice before each game. Fisher said players might opt not to dress based on family members attending the game or other issues, but he did not offer any indication as to why Edwards, who along with all FSU freshmen is not made available to the media, chose against dressing for the first game of his college career.

"You don't have to dress. We'll have guys that will and guys that won't," Fisher said. "There was a situation last week, and [Edwards] will probably dress this week. But I give every guy their choice on that."

Edwards is the son of former FSU cornerback Mario Edwards Sr., who currently works for the university as a player development coordinator -- an administrative position that works closely with the coaching staff.

While the redshirt for Edwards comes as somewhat of a surprise given the defensive end's hype on the recruiting circuit, Fisher said the decision isn't indicative of any shortcomings Edwards displayed on the field.

"I'm not one bit disappointed," Fisher said. "What we saw on film and what we thought he was, we think he's exactly that right now. He could be even more. He's actually stronger and more powerful than I even realized."

Still, Edwards checked in at nearly 300 pounds upon arrival this summer, and Fisher said he hopes the redshirt season will provide the freshman with an opportunity to shed a few pounds while getting a better grasp on the playbook.

Fisher said Edwards was not upset by the decision, saying the two "had a good conversation" about the redshirt.

In addition to Edwards, Fisher said fellow defensive end Chris Casher, defensive tackle Justin Shanks, defensive back Colin Blake, linebacker Markuss Eligwe and receiver Marvin Bracy are all expected to redshirt as well.

Bracy has been limited since the spring with a nagging hamstring injury, and Fisher said there's still a chance he could work his way into a smaller role on offense this year, assuming the injury is fully healed now.

"If his hamstring will hold up, we may try to give him four or five things -- the return game and teach him four or five things on offense to get real good at and judge that as we go," Fisher said. "But we've got to do that hopefully this week. I'm anxious to see where he's at -- full, full speed."

Quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Sean Maguire and kicker Roberto Aguayo will also redshirt, along with freshman running back Mario Pender, who will miss the season with a groin injury, and senior defensive tackle Jacobbi McDaniel, who is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered last season.