2017 Florida State Seminoles football team


The 2017 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the sport of American football during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Seminoles competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference and were led by eighth-year head coach Jimbo Fisher until he left to coach at Texas A&M before the final game of the regular season. They were then coached by interim head coach Odell Haggins. Home games were played at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
In 2016, the Seminoles won 10 games for the fifth straight season and appeared in the Orange Bowl, a fifth consecutive appearance in a major bowl game. Running back Dalvin Cook, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, offensive tackle Roderick Johnson and cornerback Marquez White went on to be selected in the NFL Draft.
Prior to the start of the season, Deondre Francois, Jacques Patrick, Cam Akers, Nyqwan Murray, Landon Dickerson, and Cole Minshew were named preseason All-ACC offensive selections while Derwin James, Tarvarus McFadden, Derrick Nnadi, Josh Sweat, Brian Burns, and Matthew Thomas were named preseason All-ACC defensive selections. In the pre-season media poll, Florida State was picked to finish first in the ACC Atlantic and win the conference title and Francois was picked as runner-up for ACC Player of the Year while Alec Eberle, McFadden, and James were named to the pre-season All-ACC team.
In the opening game against Alabama, quarterback Deondre Francois suffered a season ending knee injury which resulted in true freshman James Blackman being named the starter for the remainder of the season, leading to the program's worst start since 1976 although the Seminoles went on to become bowl eligible for the 36th consecutive year. Following the game against Florida, Jimbo Fisher resigned as coach; associate coach Odell Haggins was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
On December 21, 2017, an unofficial report was published on Reddit claiming that the Seminoles were not bowl eligible due to an NCAA rule stating that for an FCS opponent to be countable towards bowl eligibility, the FCS program must have awarded 90% of the FCS scholarship limit. Delaware State, an FCS team that lost to FSU earlier in the season, did not meet the 90% threshold set by the NCAA. Without this win, FSU stood at 5–6 on the season. However, on December 22, 2017, Florida State addressed the issue and stated that Delaware State verified its scholarship situation as eclipsing the 90-percent threshold. This, FSU claims, is due to an alleged established NCAA rule interpretation, allowing academic and other non-athletic scholarships to count towards the required threshold, however they did not reference the interpreted rule. The confirmation officially gave Florida State bowl eligibility, and allowed the team to play in the Walk-On's Independence Bowl.

Coaching staff

Roster

Rankings

Schedule

Alabama

Total Yards
250
Passing Yards
210
Rushing Yards
40
Leading Passer
Deondre Francois
19/33; 210 yards, 1 TD
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
10 carries, 30 yards
Leading Receiver
Keith Gavin
7 receptions, 50 yards

NC State

Total Yards
382
Passing Yards
278
Rushing Yards
104
Leading Passer
James Blackman
22/38; 278 yards, 1 TD
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
12 carries, 56 yards
Leading Receiver
Auden Tate
9 receptions, 138 yards, 1 TD

Wake Forest

Total Yards
270
Passing Yards
121
Rushing Yards
149
Leading Passer
James Blackman
11/21; 121 yards, 1 TD
Leading Rusher
Jacques Patrick
19 carries, 120 yards, 1 TD
Leading Receiver
Jacques Patrick
3 receptions, 26 yards

Miami (FL)

Total Yards
406
Passing Yards
203
Rushing Yards
203
Leading Passer
James Blackman
17/28; 203 yards, 2 TD
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
20 carries, 121 yards
Leading Receiver
Auden Tate
3 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD

Duke

Total Yards
425
Passing Yards
197
Rushing Yards
228
Leading Passer
James Blackman
18/21; 197 yards, 1 TD
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
15 carries, 115 yards, 1 TD
Leading Receiver
Nyqwan Murray
5 receptions, 81 yards

Louisville

Total Yards
403
Passing Yards
248
Rushing Yards
155
Leading Passer
James Blackman
16/28; 248 yards, 2 TD
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
16 carries, 75 yards
Leading Receiver
Nyqwan Murray
4 receptions, 95 yards

Boston College

Total Yards
213
Passing Yards
149
Rushing Yards
64
Leading Passer
James Blackman
11/26; 102 yards
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
18 carries, 42 yards
Leading Receiver
Nyqwan Murray
3 receptions, 102 yards

Syracuse

Total Yards
343
Passing Yards
136
Rushing Yards
207
Leading Passer
James Blackman
12/19; 136 yards, 1 TD
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
22 carries, 209 yards, 2 TD
Leading Receiver
Nyqwan Murray
3 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD

Clemson

Total Yards
229
Passing Yards
208
Rushing Yards
21
Leading Passer
James Blackman
13/32; 208 yards, TD
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
12 carries, 40 yards
Leading Receiver
Nyqwan Murray
4 receptions, 73 yards

Delaware State

Total Yards
482
Passing Yards
236
Rushing Yards
246
Leading Passer
James Blackman
11/15; 179 yards, 3 TD
Leading Rusher
Ryan Green
7 carries, 96 yards, 2 TD
Leading Receiver
Keith Gavin
4 carries, 78 yards

Florida

Total Yards
216
Passing Yards
128
Rushing Yards
88
Leading Passer
James Blackman
10/21; 128 yards, 2 TD
Leading Rusher
Jacques Patrick
15 carries, 67 yards
Leading Receiver
Ermon Lane
1 reception, 39 yards

Louisiana-Monroe

Total Yards
504
Passing Yards
199
Rushing Yards
305
Leading Passer
James Blackman
14/22; 197 yards, 1 TD
Leading Rusher
Jacques Patrick
19 carries, 155 yards, 2 TD
Leading Receiver
Ermon Lane
3 receptions, 45 yards

Independence Bowl: Southern Miss

Total Yards
452
Passing Yards
238
Rushing Yards
214
Leading Passer
James Blackman
18/26; 233 yards, 4 TD
Leading Rusher
Cam Akers
13 carries, 94 yards
Leading Receiver
Auden Tate
5 receptions, 84 yards, 3 TD

Awards

Watchlists

All-ACC

All-Americans

NFL Draft

Five Seminoles were chosen in the 2018 NFL Draft:
PlayerTeamRoundPick #Position
Derwin JamesLos Angeles Chargers1st17S
Derrick NnadiKansas City Chiefs3rd75DT
Rick LeonardNew Orleans Saints4th127OT
Josh SweatPhiladelphia Eagles4th130DE
Ryan IzzoNew England Patriots7th250TE