Florida State, in just a few weeks, replenished his secondary, adding some much-needed versatility to the position group.
Seminoles accessed the transfer portal last month, adding Arkansas starting cornerback McClellion Jarques and South Carolina starting security Jammie Robinson. That comes FSU added four pesticides in the initial hiring period.
The two transfer additions do not directly replace the likely draft choices Asante Samuel Jr. and Hamsah Nasirildeen… but they will help in this process, as both bring two years of initial experience and thousands of pressures in the SEC for the FSU secondary. And, perhaps more importantly, they will offer versatility as the FSU tries to find out what it does well in defense … perhaps even relying heavily on nickel personnel in 2021.
From this moment on, here’s what FSU has among its pesticides entering the spring semester (friction may change that a little):
Security (7)
Jammie Robinson, Soph.
Renardo Green, Soph.
Brendan Gant, Soph.
Travis Jay, RS Fr.
Jadarius Green-McKnight, Fr.
Sidney Williams, Fr.
Shyheim Brown, Fr.
Cornerback (10)
Meiko Dotson, Gr.
McClellion Jarques, Sir
Carlos Becker, RS Sr.
Akeem Dent, Soph.
Jarrian Jones, Soph.
Jarvis Brownlee, RS Fr.
Demorie Tate, Fr.
Kevin Knowles, Fr.
Omarion Cooper, Fr.
Hunter Washington, Fr.
At the very least, Robinson and McClellion are being brought in to compete for the opening slots … and they are expected to win the opening slots. Robinson was a versatile safety / nickel corner in South Carolina, while McClellion was used to cover the left side of the field in the corner, meaning that he had to protect the short side and the other side of the field. This versatility opens up possibilities for what the FSU can do to fill other parts in its secondary.
Let’s look at the possible chain reaction that Robinson’s presence has on security. He is able to play at the security point or line up in the nickel defense and must enter Renardo Green, Travis Jay and Brendan Gant at the top of the depth of two. The value of adding Robinson is that he – even if undersized – can play in Buck’s position due to his work as a catcher and post player in South Carolina. So you have him or Brendan Gant in that role. OR Robinson can play on the field safety spot, which would free FSU to move any Renardo Green or Travis Jay in the slot if you want to play with more 4-2-5 concepts. Jay played more snaps as a slot machine against Duke than in the rest of his combined 2020 games and, without a doubt, had his best performance of the year working there … so there is something about the idea of freeing Jay to play another hybrid role .
Or Robinson himself can work in the slot, something he did very well in South Carolina.
The point is that Robinson starts to give options in high school.
For what it’s worth, FSU started moving to another 4-2-5 employees at the end of the season and had some success using an extra defensive back … the continuation of this trend makes sense, as we saw FSU prioritize DB in The portal.
And then, in the cornerback, McClellion provides immediate depth. He probably enters the competition in the corner of the border after Akeem Dent and Jarrian Jones had difficult campaigns in the second year. Do not forget Demorie Tate in this role also after being ineligible last season.
Placing the border point situated is a must, and that would free up Meiko Dotson and Jarvis Brownlee to battle things like field corners, and they also have the ability to play in the slot if FSU wants to go with a real nickel pack. In addition, there are three freshmen arriving at the corner: Hunter Washington, Kevin Knowles and Omarion Cooper.
Basically, FSU is protecting bets on the cornerback with the addition of both players, as it adds depth, versatility and experience at various points.