FSU Seminoles

Each season brings with it new expectations, and a handful of Seminoles will bear the brunt of the pressure to perform in 2013. We're counting down the top 10 FSU players being counted on the most to help the Seminoles live up to expectations.

No. 7: RB James Wilder Jr.

2012 performance: Wilder rebounded nicely from a slew of off-field distractions to become a consistent producer in FSU's backfield. He topped 100 yards in his first game of the season and finished as perhaps the Seminoles' most consistent performer in the backfield, rushing for 635 yards and 11 touchdowns and hauling in 19 catches for 136 yards and two TDs.

Pressure point: Wilder finally quieted the critics who thought he wasn't suited for offense, but there's still plenty more to accomplish, and the weight of this year's offense rests largely on his shoulders -- both on and off the field. Wilder still figures to split carries with Devonta Freeman, but with a first-year starter at quarterback, there's likely to be a major emphasis on running the ball successfully. Moreover, Wilder has quickly embraced the role of vocal leader on offense, and he'll need to show he's matured beyond the off-field problems that dogged the early part of his career.

If he succeeds: Life gets a lot easier for Jameis Winston (or whoever wins the QB job) if the running game is producing, and Jimbo Fisher figures to put the onus for that on Wilder and Freeman in the early going. Fisher has raved about Wilder's ability -- not just to run between the tackles but to get outside for big runs, pick up blitzes and work as a receiver out of the backfield. He arrived at FSU as a five-star prospect and he hasn't quite reached that potential yet -- but there's ample reason for optimism. While FSU will need its new quarterback to rise to the occasion from time to time, Wilder can do a lot to minimize the occasions on which the game falls entirely on the QB's shoulders.

If he fails: Wilder and Freeman enjoyed relative success in 2012 even after Chris Thompson's season ended abruptly, but there were some troubling games, too -- such as the debacle at Virginia Tech. The Hokies stacked the box and rendered FSU's ground game completely ineffective, and with an offseason of film study and a new QB running the show, odds are more defenses will take a similar approach this year. The onus for overcoming that will likely fall to Wilder, who embraces the opportunity to get the hard-earned yards through contact. If he can't do it -- or if the pounding takes its toll on his body -- the rest of FSU's backfield lacks anything close to that same physicality or blocking ability, and Fisher's options would be far more limited.

Projection: It's tough to predict a 1,000-yard type of season for Wilder because he'll likely share the workload with Freeman and, of course, no FSU runner has reached that mark in nearly two decades. Still, Wilder has an NFL skill set and he'll get his chance to show he's on that path. Staying healthy will be a big key -- he was bruised and battered throughout 2012 and missed this year's spring game -- and he'll need to show he's more versatile outside the tackles. If Wilder can do both, he should easily exceed last year's totals, be FSU's best red-zone threat and, with a little luck, he might even be able to finally put an end to that inexplicably long drought of 1,000-yard runners.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Jameis Winston lingered on the practice field, offering some small solace and encouragement to each player who trudged away after Jimbo Fisher called an abrupt end to what he described as an "awful" day of work for Florida State. After Fisher finished a post-practice debriefing with media, Clint Trickett was waiting outside the coach's office to offer his own counsel.

A day like Wednesday could be a line of demarcation for FSU's quarterbacks, giving Fisher a chance to see how they handle the adversity of an atrocious practice session. The only problem, Fisher said, was he wished he'd seen more of it sooner.

"It's easy to do it afterwards," Fisher said. "The key is recognizing when it's happening and then call it together, and I wish they'd done a better job of that."

Still, the day's struggles couldn't be pinned entirely on the quarterbacks, Fisher said. It was a group effort, and the four men battling for the starting QB job actually were among the least conspicuous offenders.

As spring practice draws to a close -- just one practice session remains before the spring game -- Fisher has seen progress from his quarterbacks, and while he's not giving away any secrets on where the depth chart currently stands, it certainly sounds like it's becoming more of a two-man race.

In Monday's scrimmage, it was Winston and Trickett who got the bulk of the first-team reps, and both turned in strong performances.

Winston completed 8 of 15 for 129 yards with an interception, adding 16 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

"He puts the ball on the money -- even his deep balls, every touch he has on the short routes," safety Terrence Brooks said. "He throws it as soon as they come out of their breaks, which makes it harder for us. He does a great job of looking us off and having us on edge all the time."

Trickett completed 17 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

"Clint gets out of the pocket very well, but he still looks downfield to make the plays," Brooks said. "It looks like a toss-up to me. ... I'm glad I don't have to make that decision. That's on Jimbo."

Jacob Coker and Sean Maguire remain in the competition but largely worked with the second-team offense during Monday's scrimmage. Coker completed 10 of 17 passes for 162 yards and an interception, while Maguire was a solid 8 of 15 for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Saturday's spring game could be the next step in making that decision for Fisher, but Thursday's return to the practice field after such an ugly performance might factor in, too.

"We were not mentally ready to practice and that will get you beat," Fisher said. "If we haven't learned that lesson around here by now, we're going to get that point across, I promise."

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- If Jimbo Fisher is getting any closer to tabbing a starting quarterback, he's keeping his plans in house, but that didn't prevent him from giving a strong nod of approval for de facto No. 1 Clint Trickett after Monday's scrimmage.

"I thought Clint had a really good day," Fisher said following FSU's second scrimmage session of the spring. "Clint was very consistent in the things he did, and they made some plays around him."

Consistency has been the buzzword of the spring for Trickett, who leads the pack by a wide margin in experience in Fisher's offense. But if Trickett has done nothing to lose his hold on the top spot, he's at least starting to share the spotlight a bit with Jameis Winston.

Fisher said Trickett and Winston took the majority of the first-team reps Monday, and both had highlights. Winston had one pick in the red zone, but he also was able to lead the first-team offense down the field on several occasions with some impressive third-down conversions.

"He came right back [from the interception] and on third down just lit it up," Fisher said. "Made three or four just big-time throws."

It was a bit more of a mixed bag for Jacob Coker, who fumbled a snap and threw an interception, but Fisher said he, too, responded well to the early struggles to finish with a solid performance.

Stats for the scrimmage were not immediately made available.

As much as Trickett's consistent performance can turn heads, Fisher said, an up-and-down performance can be just as impressive if it ends on a high note.

"They made some mistakes, and that's when I want to see how those young guys do," Fisher said. "Them guys come right back out there."

If it sounds like Fisher is offering liberal praise for the breadth of his quarterback options, he insists it's all deserved. It's just that none of the praise has been so intense that a clear No. 1 has been established.

That will happen eventually, Fisher said, but he's still not putting any timetables on a decision.

"We'll know when it's time," he said. "Hopefully it'll stand out consistently who starts taking that job, and it'll be obvious. Right now, we're each growing and I love the competition."

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- As Florida State goes through the spring, one major debate has surfaced.

Are the Seminoles rebuilding or reloading?

Depends on your perspective, of course. Coach Jimbo Fisher believes looking at the number of returning starters when making that determination is misleading. Especially in this case. Guys the Seminoles are going to be relying on this year, from Telvin Smith to Mario Edwards to Timmy Jernigan to Devonta Freeman to James Wilder Jr. have gotten valuable playing time and/or starts.

But on the flip side, it is hard to ignore just how much talent is gone: Four of the five Seminoles who made the ACC first team are gone, including defensive player of the year Bjoern Werner. That does not even count veteran quarterback EJ Manuel.

So which is it? Linebacker Christian Jones makes his pitch:

"I feel like we’re reloading. We have a lot of younger guys but we have a lot of talent here, a lot of great athletes. With the coaching staff we have now, they’re more hands on. They like to go over the fundamentals and teach the basics. I feel like with the talent we have, we can just reload and plug in new guys at the spot. We have a lot of older guys helping those younger guys out, so once we get through the spring and have a better understanding of this defense, we can once again be a dominant defense.

"Even on offense, we return a lot of guys on the O-line. Clint [Trickett] is a guy who has starts and he played pretty well in those games he started. We have other talented receivers and running backs. So being able to get this spring in, get the guys better, the sky’s going to be the limit for next season."

Now it's your turn to weigh in. Vote in our poll and let us know what you think.

Andrea Adelson talks to Florida State running back James Wilder Jr. about the running back competition this spring.

From the impending quarterback competition to finding replacements for departing juniors, Jimbo Fisher will have his work cut out for him during the next few months as he lays the groundwork for 2013.

With that in mind, we're going to go position by position looking at Florida State's strengths and weaknesses as the Seminoles prepare for the start of spring practice.

Previously: Cornerback, Wide Receivers and Tight Ends, Defensive Tackles

Next up: Running backs

2012 recap: It's tough to overstate how much Florida State's ground game improved from 2011, with the Seminoles nearly doubling their total rushing yards and finishing the season with five players who averaged better than 5 yards per carry. Overall, Florida State finished fourth nationally, averaging 5.62 yards per rush. Chris Thompson was well on his way to becoming the first FSU runner to top 1,000 yards since 1996, but his season ended in Week 9 with a torn ACL. James Wilder Jr. and Devonta Freeman teamed up to handle the job the rest of the way -- usually successfully -- and figure to do the same again in 2013.

Departures: Thompson toyed with the idea of appealing the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility after his Week 9 injury, but he eventually abandoned that plan and is focused on rehabbing his knee and making a go of it in the NFL. His loss is big, but Freeman and Wilder proved to be able substitutes. At fullback, things aren't quite so clear cut. Lonnie Pryor departs after four seasons as a starter, and there's no obvious replacement waiting in the wings.

Arrivals: FSU figures to finally get its first look at Mario Pender, who redshirted in 2012 after undergoing groin surgery at the start of fall practice. Pender's rehab went smoothly, but he still won't be a regular practice participant until spring workouts get going. Meanwhile, FSU added another dynamic weapon to its backfield on national signing day with four-star athlete Ryan Green. Like Thompson, Green is a home-run threat with great speed. In what should be something of an unsettled backfield, he could see action immediately.

Biggest question mark: There are no questions about Wilder's ability, but it's still unclear whether he'll ever blossom as a superstar runner. Wilder had a productive 2012 season, rushing for 652 yards and 11 touchdowns, but even after Thompson's injury, he didn't emerge as an every down back. Wilder's size and strength make him a weapon, particularly in short-yardage situations, but his affinity for contact also means the bumps and bruises can accumulate over the course of the season. Add a myriad of off-field issues, and the question marks continue to pile up. The most likely scenario for 2013 is that Wilder again splits time with Freeman as co-starters, but there's also the chance that Wilder blossoms into a star -- and maybe even managed to put an end to that ongoing drought of 1,000-yard backs.

Breakout star: The backfield is probably a bit too crowded for any one runner to become a superstar, but Wilder may be the best bet to make the leap. Of course, Freeman has had two straight solid seasons and won't have to worry about taking a backseat to Thompson this time around, while Pender and Green certainly possess the talent to take the job and run with it, too. In other words, there's a ton of talent, but just one football to go around.

Projected 2013 starter: Freeman and Wilder

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. A year ago, there wasn't a lot of mystery looming over spring practice at Florida State. Signing day brought another crop of highly regarded talent, and spring practice storylines included more injuries than marquee position battles.

That won't be the case this year as a rash of departures from both assistant coaches and underclassmen mean the signing class is still in flux and the depth chart has plenty of spots up for grabs.

So, as the Seminoles' spring kicks into high gear, here are the five departures that have left the biggest voids that will need to be filled over the next few months.

1. Quarterback

Going: EJ Manuel ended a five-year tenure in Tallahassee with a mixed reputation among the fans. Among NFL scouts, however, things seem a bit more uniform. Manuel starred at last week's Senior Bowl, and with NFL teams increasingly interested in versatile quarterbacks capable of running the read option, Manuel's pro prospects look brighter.

Coming: FSU has a deep reserve of QB talent in Clint Trickett, Jacob Coker and Jameis Winston. The question is which one of them can take over the job on a full-time basis. Trickett enters spring practice atop the depth chart, but Coker and Winston have too much talent to cede the job without a fight.

2. Right tackle

Going: Menelik Watson's time at Florida State amounted to only about eight months, but he made his presence felt. The junior college transfer anchored FSU's offensive line in 2012, and since announcing his intentions to enter the NFL draft -- something of a surprise to FSU coaches -- his profile has steadily increased. Several recent mock drafts have Watson as a first-round selection.

Coming: The obvious answer at right tackle would be Bobby Hart, who started eight games there as a freshman before being relegated to a reserve role last season. Hart's maturity, attitude and relationship with line coach Rick Trickett have all been called into question at times, however, making him anything but a safe bet to win the job. Further complicating matters, FSU lost one of its top recruits in Austin Golson, leaving just two commitments in what was supposed to be a big offensive line class.

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Five assistant coaches and three juniors all left Florida State for greener pastures in the past six weeks, and a bevy of senior talent from the 2012 ACC champions departs as well. While the spring always brings hope for players to work their way up the depth chart, this year will offer a wealth of opportunities for some younger Seminoles to impress new coaches and win some vacant jobs.

That's good news for a handful of once promising talent on the Florida State roster, but it's hardly a guarantee that much will change. While last week, we looked at five rising stars for FSU, these six players have a much steeper hill to climb after seeing their stars dim during 2012.

Mario Pender (RFr./RB)

Background: Highly regarded on the recruiting trail, Pender's freshman season at Florida State never got started. A groin injury over the summer lingered into fall camp, and it was quickly determined he'd need season-ending surgery to repair it. He never ran a rep during practice but is expected to be ready to go this spring.

Possible 2013 status: On the one hand, Pender can still step in to a relatively uncertain running back situation and find a niche. James Wilder Jr.'s continued legal problems are a cause for concern, and Devonta Freeman was inconsistent down the stretch after Chris Thompson's injury. On the other hand, Florida State could be adding more talent with this year's recruiting class, and thanks to the injury, Pender won't be dramatically ahead of them in terms of preparation.

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From Jimbo Fisher decision to start four freshmen linemen in the bowl game a year ago to Brandon Jenkins returning and Greg Reid leaving before their senior seasons, the storylines that seemed the biggest at the time actually had relatively little impact on 2012 for FSU. As it turned out, only two of those young linemen saw significant playing time this season, Jenkins season ended in Week 1, and the secondary improved without Reid.

Sometimes, the biggest decisions float under the radar at the time, and it's only in retrospect that we figure out what really defined the season. With that in mind, here are the five decisions that probably made the biggest impact on the 2012 ACC champions.

1. West Virginia waves goodbye

The rumors started last December and by February it was official: West Virginia backed out of its scheduled non-conference trip to Tallahassee, leaving FSU scrambling for an opponent. The result was a horrific game against lowly Savannah State -- one that mercifully wasn't played to completion due to weather -- and months of bemoaning a weak schedule.

Thanks to two games against FCS foes and another down season in the ACC, the Seminoles were lambasted as untested and its conference title (and 12 wins) felt somewhat hollow, given that only Clemson and Florida provided legitimate obstacles in the minds of many fans.

2. Moving Cameron Erving, benching Bobby Hart

When the 2011 season ended, Erving was a prospect on the defensive line and Hart was ensconced as the starter at right tackle. By the end of spring practice, a lot had changed.

The young and talented Hart found himself in line coach Rick Trickett's doghouse, and by the time fall practice began, he had been moved inside to guard and was working with the second-team offense. That opened up room for Menelik Watson, a junior college transfer who blossomed into a star.

Erving was swapped from offense to defense -- with a little convincing -- and although he had his ups and downs this season, he provided a marked improvement in protecting EJ Manuel's blind side.

With Erving and Watson working the edges, FSU shaved 14 sacks off its total from 2011 and kept Manuel healthy enough to start all 14 games.

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With the 2012 season officially in the books, we took a look through the stats to determine some of the most significant improvements and problems Florida State endured this year with five stats that defined 2012.

The numbers don't always tell the whole story, but these numbers shed some light on some of the biggest reasons Florida State won 12 games and its first ACC title in seven years, and also why those other two games got away.

First up: 40.

That's the number of rushing touchdowns by Florida State this season -- double its total from a year ago.

Florida State's offense might have lacked some consistency, but this year's unit was markedly improved, and that started with the ground game. Only four other teams in the country boasted a bigger increase in rushing touchdowns from 2011 to 2012 than Florida State, and even with the loss of starter Chris Thompson in Week 8, the Seminoles still finished with the third highest yards per carry of any team in the nation (5.62).

It's hard to quantify the impact the improved ground game had on FSU's offense this year, but across the board the differences were staggering.

Essentially with just three additional running plays per game, FSU doubled its ground gains in 2012.

Perhaps as impressive as the overall running game was the depth. Take away the yardage lost to sacks, and Florida State had five runners -- Lonnie Pryor (8.0), Thompson (7.5), EJ Manuel (6.4), Devonta Freeman (6.0) and James Wilder Jr. (5.8) -- rack up at least 45 carries and average at least 5.5 yards per rush.

Of course, plenty of credit goes to the offensive line, with the Orange Bowl providing a prime example. Of the 243 yards FSU gained on the ground against Northern Illinois, 196 of them came before contact was made with a defender (81 percent), and runners went untouched on all three touchdown runs.