2018 Florida State Seminoles football team

The 2018 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Seminoles were led by first-year head coach Willie Taggart and played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium. They competed as members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

2018 Florida State Seminoles football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
	Atlantic Division
2018 record	5–7 (3–5 ACC)
Head coach	Willie Taggart (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Walt Bell (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Gulf Coast
Defensive coordinator	Harlon Barnett (1st season)
Base defense	Multiple
Captain	Ricky Aguayo Alec Eberle Brian Burns
Home stadium	Doak Campbell Stadium (Capacity: 79,560)
Uniform

2018 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 1 Clemson x$#^		8	–	0					15	–	0
No. 15 Syracuse		6	–	2					10	–	3
NC State		5	–	3					9	–	4
Boston College		4	–	4					7	–	5
Wake Forest		3	–	5					7	–	6
Florida State		3	–	5					5	–	7
Louisville		0	–	8					2	–	10
Coastal Division
Pittsburgh x		6	–	2					7	–	7
Georgia Tech		5	–	3					7	–	6
Miami		4	–	4					7	–	6
Virginia		4	–	4					8	–	5
Virginia Tech		4	–	4					6	–	7
Duke		3	–	5					8	–	5
North Carolina		1	–	7					2	–	9
Championship: Clemson 42, Pittsburgh 10
– College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The Seminoles finished the season with a losing record for the first time since 1976, missing a bowl game for the first time since 1981.[1] Linebacker Brian Burns went on to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft,[2] with defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas being selected in the sixth round.

Previous season

The Seminoles finished the 2017 season 7–6, 3–5 in ACC play, to finish in sixth place in the Atlantic Division. They received a bid to the Independence Bowl where they defeated Southern Miss. Following the regular season, Jimbo Fisher left the program to become head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies.

Recruiting

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

The Seminoles signed a total of 21 recruits.

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Robert Cooper DT	Snellville, GA	South Gwinnett High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	377 lb (171 kg)	Jun 16, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Christian Meadows OG	Montezuma, GA	Macon County High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	330 lb (150 kg)	Jul 29, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Asante Samuel Jr. CB	Fort Lauderdale, FL	St. Thomas Aquinas High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	164 lb (74 kg)	Apr 13, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Anthony Lytton CB	Upper Marlboro, MD	Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	Apr 27, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Amari Gainer LB	Tallahassee, FL	Lawton Chiles High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	May 26, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
D'Marcus Adams WR	Daytona Beach, FL	Mainland High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jun 14, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Christian Armstrong OT	Warner Robins, GA	Warner Robins High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	335 lb (152 kg)	Jun 25, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chaz Neal DE	Wesley Chapel, FL	Wesley Chapel High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	253 lb (115 kg)	Jul 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaiden Woodbey S	Bellflower, CA	St. John Bosco High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	204 lb (93 kg)	Dec 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Isaiah Bolden CB	Tampa, FL	Wesley Chapel High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Dec 22, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Camren McDonald TE	Long Beach, CA	Poly High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jan 13, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jalen Goss OT	Valdosta, GA	Lowndes High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Jan 15, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Xavier Peters LB	West Chester, OH	Lakota West High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jan 28, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dennis Briggs DE	Kissimmee, FL	Gateway High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	252 lb (114 kg)	Jan 28, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Warren Thompson WR	Seffner, FL	Armwood High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jan 31, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Keyshawn Helton WR	Pensacola, FL	West Florida Tech High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Feb 4, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Anthony Grant RB	Buford, GA	Buford High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Malcolm Lamar DE	Seffner, FL	Armwood High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jamarcus Chatman DT	Rome, GA	Rome High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	266 lb (121 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tre'Shaun Harrison WR	Seattle, WA	Garfield High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jordan Young WR	Conyers, GA	Heritage High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "FSU Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 11, 2018.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Rimington Trophy[3]	Alec Eberle	C	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award[4]	Brian Burns	DE	JR
Maxwell Award[5]	Deondre Francois	QB	JR
	Cam Akers	RB	SO
Doak Walker Award[6]	Cam Akers	RB	SO
	Jacques Patrick	RB	SR
Outland Trophy[7]	Alec Eberle	C	SR
Lou Groza Award[8]	Ricky Aguayo	K	JR
Ray Guy Award[9]	Logan Tyler	P	JR
Wuerffel Trophy[10]	Alec Eberle	C	SR
Walter Camp Award[11]	Cam Akers	RB	SO
Ted Hendricks Award[12]	Brian Burns	DE	JR

ACC media poll

In the preseason ACC media poll, Florida State was selected to finish second in the Atlantic division.

Media poll (Atlantic)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Clemson	1,031 (145)
2	Florida State	789 (1)
3	NC State	712 (2)
4	Boston College	545
5	Louisville	422
6	Wake Forest	413
7	Syracuse	232

Preseason All-ACC teams

The Seminoles had two players selected to the preseason All-ACC teams, with one offensive selection and one on special teams.

• Cam Akers
• Ricky Aguayo

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	8:00 p.m.	No. 20 Virginia Tech	No. 19	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN	L 3–24[13]	75,237
September 8	7:20 p.m.	No. 9 (FCS) Samford*		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ACCN	W 36–26[14]	72,239
September 15	12:00 p.m.	at Syracuse		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPN	L 7–30[15]	37,457
September 22	3:30 p.m.	Northern Illinois*		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPNU	W 37–19[16]	65,633
September 29	3:30 p.m.	at Louisville		Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	ESPN2	W 28–24[17]	52,798
October 6	3:30 p.m.	at No. 17 Miami (FL)		Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (rivalry)	ABC	L 27–28[18]	65,490
October 20	3:30 p.m.	Wake Forest		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN2	W 38–17[19]	67,274
October 27	12:00 p.m.	No. 2 Clemson		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ABC	L 10–59[20]	68,403
November 3	3:30 p.m.	at NC State		Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	ABC	L 28–47[21]	57,600
November 10	7:30 p.m.	at No. 3 Notre Dame*		Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC	L 13–42[22]	77,622
November 17	3:30 p.m.	No. 22 Boston College		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN2	W 22–21[23]	57,274
November 24	12:00 p.m.	No. 13 Florida*		Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (rivalry)	ABC	L 14–41[24]	71,953
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Schedule Source:[25]

Coaching staff

Florida State Seminoles coaches

Head Coach Willie Taggart Assistant Coaches Walt Bell – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Harlon Barnett – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs Greg Frey – Offensive Line Odell Haggins – Defensive Tackle Mark Snyder – Defensive Ends Telly Lockette – Tight Ends David Kelly – Wide Receivers Donte Pimpleton – Running Backs Raymond Woodie – Linebackers Alonzo Hamilton – Special Teams Irele Oderinde – Strength and Conditioning Mickey Andrews – Special Assistant

Roster

2018 Florida State Seminoles football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 1 James Blackman So RB 3 Cam Akers So RB 4 Khalan Laborn  Fr TE 6 Tre' McKitty So WR 8 Nyqwan Murray Sr RB 9 Jacques Patrick Sr RB 10 Anthony Grant Fr WR 11 George Campbell  Jr QB 12 Deondre Francois  Jr WR 13 Caleb Ward Fr QB 14 Nolan McDonald Fr WR 14 Deonté Sheffield  Fr WR 15 Tamorrion Terry  Fr QB 16 Alex Eleyssami Fr WR 18 Warren Thompson Fr QB 19 Beau Fillichio Fr WR 20 Keyshawn Helton Fr RB 22 Amir Rasul Jr TE 26 Johnathan Vickers  Sr WR 28 D'Marcus Adams Fr WR 29 D.J. Matthews So TE 32 Gabe Nabers Jr RB 37 Blaik Middleton  Jr WR 41 Michael Barulich  So OL 51 Baveon Johnson  So OL 52 Christian Meadows Fr OL 54 Alec Eberle  Sr OL 59 Brady Scott  Fr OL 61 Jalen Goss Fr OL 66 Andrew Basham  Jr OL 68 Jeremy Czerenda Fr OL 69 Landon Dickerson  So OL 70 Cole Minshew  Jr OL 71 Chaz Neal Fr OL 72 Mike Arnold  So OL 73 Jauan Williams  So OL 74 Derrick Kelly II  Sr OL 75 Abdul Bello  Jr OL 76 Arthur Williams  Sr OL 77 Christian Armstrong Fr WR 80 Ontaria Wilson  Fr TE 81 Alex Marshall  Fr TE 82 Naseir Upshur Jr WR 83 Jordan Young Fr WR 84 Adarius Dent Fr WR 85 Tyrell Moorer  Jr TE 87 Camren McDonald Fr WR 88 Tre'Shaun Harrison Fr WR 89 Keith Gavin Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 1 Levonta Taylor Jr LB 5 Dontavious Jackson Jr DB 8 Stanford Samuels III So DL 11 Janarius Robinson  So DB 12 A.J. Lytton Fr DL 13 Joshua Kaindoh So DB 14 Kale Meyers Jr DB 15 Carlos Becker III Jr DL 16 Cory Durden  Fr DB 19 A.J. Westbrook Sr LB 20 Jaiden Woodbey Fr DL 21 Marvin Wilson So LB 22 Adonis Thomas  Jr DB 23 Hamsah Nasirildeen So DB 24 Cyrus Fagan So DB 26 Asante Samuel Jr. Fr LB 27 Zaquandre White  Fr LB 28 DeCalon Brooks  Fr DB 29 Isaiah Bolden Fr DL 31 Kris Dixon  Jr DB 32 Array Culmer  Sr LB 33 Amari Gainer Fr LB 35 Leonard Warner III So DB 37 Kameron House  So DB 38 Izaiah Prouse-Lackey  Sr DB 39 Claudio Williams  Jr LB 41 Joseph Garcia  So DB 43 Joseph Schergen  So DB 45 Demetrius Artis  Jr DB 46 John Moschella III Sr LB 48 Armani Kerr  So DL 49 Cedric Wood  So LB 51 Josh Brown Jr DL 53 Ja'Len Parks  Fr DL 55 Fredrick Jones  Sr LB 56 Emmett Rice Jr DL 58 Dennis Briggs Jr. Fr DL 59 Xavier Peters Fr DL 67 Adam Torres  Sr DL 90 Demarcus Christmas  Sr DL 91 Robert Cooper Fr DL 93 Peter Osimen  Jr DL 94 Walvenski Aimé  Sr DL 95 Jamarcus Chatman Fr DL 97 Malcolm Lamar Fr DL 99 Brian Burns Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 21 Logan Tyler Jr K 23 Ricky Aguayo Jr P 30 Tommy Martin  Fr LS 40 Ken Burnham  Sr LS 42 Garrett Murray  Fr LS 44 Grant Glennon  Fr LS 63 Tanner Adkison  So	Head coach {{{head_coach}}} Coordinators/assistant coaches {{{asst_coach}}} Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 1/1/19

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	19	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Coaches	19	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
CFP	Not released									NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	Not released

Game summaries

Virginia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Hokies	10	7	0	7	24
No. 19 Seminoles	0	3	0	0	3

Samford

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 (FCS) Bulldogs	16	7	0	3	26
Seminoles	7	14	0	15	36

at Syracuse

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	0	0	0	7	7
Orange	3	3	14	10	30

Northern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Huskies	0	7	6	6	19
Seminoles	14	6	3	14	37

at Louisville

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	7	0	7	14	28
Cardinals	7	14	3	0	24

at Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	7	13	7	0	27
No. 17 Hurricanes	0	7	14	7	28

Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
Demon Deacons	10	0	0	7	17
Seminoles	7	14	10	7	38

Clemson

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Tigers	0	28	24	7	59
Seminoles	0	0	3	7	10

at NC State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	0	14	7	7	28
Wolfpack	10	17	10	10	47

at Notre Dame

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	0	6	7	0	13
No. 3 Fighting Irish	17	15	3	7	42

Boston College

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Eagles	0	7	7	7	21
Seminoles	0	6	7	9	22

Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Gators	3	10	14	14	41
Seminoles	0	7	7	0	14

Post-season

All-ACC

The Seminoles had five players selected to the All-ACC team, with three defensive selections and two offensive selections.[26]

• Brian Burns (First Team)
• Nyqwan Murray (Third Team)
• Demarcus Christmas (Third Team)
• Marvin Wilson (Honorable Mention)
• Tamorrion Terry (Honorable Mention)

NFL Draft

Player	Team	Round	Pick #	Position
Brian Burns	Carolina Panthers	1st	16	LB
Demarcus Christmas	Seattle Seahawks	6th	209	DT

References

1. "Clock Strikes 12 On Streaks, Noles' Football Season". November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
2. "Burns Selected 16th Overall In First Round Of NFL Draft". April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
3. "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
4. "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
5. "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
6. "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
7. "2018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
8. "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
9. "Ray Guy Award preseason watch list unveiled". July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
10. "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
11. Carbone, Al (July 27, 2018). "Walter Camp Football Foundation Announces 2018 Player of the Year Preseason "Watch List"". Retrieved July 30, 2018.
12. "Preseason Watch List - 2018 edition of the Ted Hendricks Award" (PDF). August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
13. "Missed Opportunities, Missing Magic Spoil Taggart Debut". September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
14. "Noles Extract Taggart's First Win With Great Escape". September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
15. "'We've Got To Get Better': Football Falls, 30-7, At Syracuse". September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
16. "Noles Start Fast, Pull Away For 37-19 Win Over NIU". September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
17. "Westbrook Pick, Murray TD Gives Noles Comeback Win". September 29, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
18. "Football Narrowly Misses Upset Of No. 17 UM, 28-27". October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
19. "No Homecoming Wake: Football Rips Deacs". October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
20. "Noles Stunned By Tigers' Second Quarter Onslaught". October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
21. "Football Falls 47-28 At NC State". November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
22. "Football Falls To Irish In South Bend". November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
23. "Francois, Terry Lift Noles To 'An Incredible Win' Over BC". November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
24. "Season Comes to an End with Loss to Florida". November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
25. "2018 Florida State Seminoles Football Schedule". fbschedules.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
26. "Burns Named First Team All-ACC". November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.