Georgia Tech Football: Opponent Previews - Florida State

While Year 2 under Mike Norvell was not massively successful for the Noles, there still seems to be a lot of excitement and promise around this team going into 2022. Last year saw the Noles go 5-7, but that includes a .500 record in-conference, so with a young team and some promising additions, this team seems likely to improve.

Key Losses

QB McKenzie Milton

While this is more of a loss in name only, I still think the loss of a guy with the experience of McKenzie Milton is a big one. Last season, it was expected that he would usurp the starting job at quarterback from Jordan Travis, and interestingly, the opposite happened. Milton still played and served as a solid back-up.

RB Jashaun Corbin

Florida State used a running back by committee approach last season, and Corbin was the lead guy, rushing for 887 yards and seven touchdowns. He also added in another 144 yards and a touchdown through the air.

DE Jermaine Johnson II and Keir Thomas

Perhaps the biggest loss for the Noles is Jermaine Johnson II. He and fellow DE Keir Thomas are both gone this season. The duo combined for 29.5 tackles for loss and 18.0 sacks (Johnson had 17.5 TFL and 11.5 sacks).

Key Returners

QB Jordan Travis

I mentioned Travis earlier, but I wanted to mention him here again, because he really solidified his position as the starter last season. He completed nearly 63 percent of his passes for 1,500 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for another 530 yards and seven touchdowns. He suffered from not having much to work with at wide receiver, but the Noles handled that by adding a couple receivers in the Transfer Portal (more on that below!).

S Jammie Robinson

On defense, the Noles return leading interception-er (?) Jammie Robinson who will be moving from the Nickel to Safety this season. He led the Noles with four picks and two forced fumbles. He also led the team with 84 tackles.

Key Newcomers

WR Mycah Pittman and Johnny Wilson

Remember how I talked about how the Noles didn’t have much in the way of receiver? Well the Noles fixed that by adding two former PAC-12 receivers Mycah Pittman (Oregon) and Johnny Wilson (Arizona State). Pittman played sparingly at Oregon, but is expected to take on a larger role in Tallahassee. Last season, he caught 12 passes for 197 yards. Wilson played a similar role at Arizona State, catching 12 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown.

OL Kayden Lyles

Lyles should help solidify the interior offensive line for the Noles, coming down from Wisconsin, though it is worth noting that it has been speculated that Lyles transferred out of Madison after getting passed on the depth chart. He started 16 games at Wisconsin.

DE Jared Verse

Most notably (in my mind at least), the Noles are adding Jared Verse at defensive end from the University of Albany Great Danes. If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of that school. He appeared in 15 games there, and his stats are something else. He recorded 74 tackles, 21.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. If he can produce like that for the Noles, the Noles will be sitting pretty.

Conclusion

There are a lot of questions about this Florida State team. They had some pretty notable losses, but there is also a lot of promise. If Mike Norvell can get the questions sorted out, there is a good chance they could be competing for second place behind Clemson in the Atlantic for the final time. Given that this game is later in the season, I have no prediction for this game at this point, as both teams have so many unknowns.

How do you see Georgia Tech v. Florida State playing out?