2019 Florida State Seminoles football team

The 2019 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Seminoles played their home games at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, and competed as members of the Atlantic Division in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

2019 Florida State Seminoles football
Sun Bowl, L 14–20 vs. Arizona State
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
	Atlantic Division
2019 record	6–7 (4–4 ACC)
Head coach	Willie Taggart (2nd season; first 9 games) Odell Haggins (interim; remainder of season)
Offensive coordinator	Kendal Briles (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Harlon Barnett (2nd season)
Captain	James Blackman Marvin Wilson Ricky Aguayo
Home stadium	Doak Campbell Stadium (Capacity: 79,560)
Uniform

2019 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 2 Clemson x$^		8	–	0					14	–	1
Louisville		5	–	3					8	–	5
Wake Forest		4	–	4					8	–	5
Florida State		4	–	4					6	–	7
Boston College		4	–	4					6	–	7
Syracuse		2	–	6					5	–	7
NC State		1	–	7					4	–	8
Coastal Division
Virginia x		6	–	2					9	–	5
Virginia Tech		5	–	3					8	–	5
Miami		4	–	4					6	–	7
Pittsburgh		4	–	4					8	–	5
North Carolina		4	–	4					7	–	6
Duke		3	–	5					5	–	7
Georgia Tech		2	–	6					3	–	9
Championship: Clemson 62, Virginia 17
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Florida State was initially led by second-year head coach Willie Taggart. On November 3, 2019, Taggart was fired after losing to Miami (FL) and falling to 4–5 on the season and 9–12 overall.[1] Defensive line coach Odell Haggins was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season, for the second time during his tenure with the program. The Seminoles ultimately finished the season with a 6–7 record, completing consecutive losing seasons for the first time since the 1975 and 1976 seasons. This was the first season since 1976 that Florida State was not ranked in either of the major polls. Running back Cam Akers went on to be selected in the second round of the NFL Draft.[2]

Previous season

Florida State finished the 2018 season 5–7, 3–5 in ACC play, to finish in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. The Seminoles had a losing record for the first time since 1976 and missed a bowl game for the first time since 1981.

Preseason

Coaching changes

In December 2018, the school hired Kendal Briles to be the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, replacing Walt Bell, who left to take the head coaching job at UMass.[3] Briles spent the 2018 season as offensive coordinator at Houston. In January 2019, the school hired alum Ron Dugans to coach wide receivers.[4] In February 2019, the school fired offensive line coach Greg Frey and hired Randy Clements to the same position;[5] Briles and Clements previously worked together on the Houston staff.

Player news

Quarterback Deondre Francois was dismissed from the team in February 2019 after Francois' girlfriend posted a video to Instagram which alleged domestic abuse.[6] Francois had been the starting quarterback for the Seminoles during the 2016 and 2018 seasons (an injury sustained in the first game of 2017 sidelined him for most of that season), and was set to be the starter again as a senior.

In March 2019, former Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook announced that he was transferring to Florida State for his final season of eligibility as an NCAA graduate transfer.[7] In August 2019, Jordan Travis, a transfer quarterback from Louisville, was granted a waiver by the NCAA to be immediately eligible to play.[8]

Recruiting

Florida State's 2019 recruiting class consisted of 21 recruits. The class was ranked 21st in the nation and second in the ACC according to the 247Sports.com Composite.[9] This represented the lowest-ranked class for the school since 2007.[10]

Spring game

The 'Garnet and Gold Game' was held on April 6 with the Gold team, led by James Blackman, victorious over the Garnet team by a score of 27–21.[11]

Preseason media poll

In the preseason ACC media poll, Florida State was selected to finish third in the Atlantic Division.[12] Wide receiver Tamorrion Terry and defensive tackle Marvin Wilson were named to the preseason All-ACC team.[13]

Media poll (Atlantic Division)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Clemson	1209 (171)
2	Syracuse	913 (2)
3	Florida State	753
4	NC State	666
5	Boston College	588
6	Wake Forest	462
7	Louisville	253

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy[14]	DeCalon Brooks	LB	SO
Maxwell Award[15]	Cam Akers	RB	JR
Bednarik Award[15]	Marvin Wilson	DT	JR
Doak Walker Award[16]	Cam Akers	RB	JR
Biletnikoff Award[17]	Tamorrion Terry	WR	SO
Mackey Award[18]	Tre' McKitty	TE	JR
Butkus Award[19]	Dontavious Jackson	LB	SR
Outland Trophy[20]	Marvin Wilson	DT	JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy[20]	Marvin Wilson	DT	JR
Ray Guy Award[21]	Logan Tyler	P	SR
Wuerffel Trophy[22]	DeCalon Brooks	LB	SO

Listed in the order that they were released

Schedule

Florida State's 2019 season was set to begin with a non-conference neutral site game at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, against Boise State of the Mountain West Conference, though the game was relocated to Tallahassee due to Hurricane Dorian. In ACC play, the Seminoles played the other members of the Atlantic Division as well as Virginia and Miami from the Coastal Division. To end the year, Florida State played on the road against rival Florida of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	12:00 p.m.	Boise State*	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL[lower-alpha 1]	ESPNews	L 31–36[24]	50,917
September 7	5:00 p.m.	Louisiana–Monroe*	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ACCN	W 45–44 ^OT[25]	52,969
September 14	7:30 p.m.	at No. 25 Virginia	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA (Jefferson-Eppes Trophy)	ACCN	L 24–31[26]	57,826
September 21	3:30 p.m.	Louisville	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN	W 35–24[27]	46,530
September 28	7:30 p.m.	NC State	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ACCN	W 31–13[28]	60,351
October 12	3:30 p.m.	at No. 2 Clemson	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	ABC	L 14–45[29]	80,500
October 19	7:30 p.m.	at Wake Forest	BB&T Field Winston-Salem, NC	ACCN	L 20–22[30]	24,782
October 26	3:30 p.m.	Syracuse	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPN2	W 35–17[31]	50,517
November 2	3:30 p.m.	Miami (FL)	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL (Florida Cup/rivalry)	ABC	L 10–27[32]	63,995
November 9	12:00 p.m.	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	ACCN	W 38–31[33]	37,312
November 16	12:00 p.m.	Alabama State*	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ACCRSN	W 49–12[34]	52,857
November 30	7:30 p.m.	at No. 8 Florida*	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (Florida Cup/Sunshine Showdown)	SECN	L 17–40[35]	89,409
December 31	2:00 p.m.	vs. Arizona State*	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl)	CBS	L 14–20[36]	42,412
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll All times are in Eastern time

[37]

1. The game against Boise State was originally scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville, but was moved over safety concerns related to Hurricane Dorian.[23]

Game summaries

vs. Boise State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	6	13	7	10	36
Seminoles	21	10	0	0	31

Louisiana–Monroe

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Warhawks	0	7	14	17	6	44
Seminoles	14	10	0	14	7	45

at Virginia

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	0	14	3	7	24
No. 25 Cavaliers	3	7	0	21	31

Louisville

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	7	10	7	24
Seminoles	21	0	0	14	35

NC State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolfpack	0	6	0	7	13
Seminoles	3	14	7	7	31

at Clemson

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	0	0	7	7	14
No. 2 Tigers	14	14	14	3	45

at Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	0	14	0	6	20
Demon Deacons	6	6	0	10	22

Syracuse

	1	2	3	4	Total
Orange	0	3	0	14	17
Seminoles	13	8	14	0	35

Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hurricanes	7	10	0	10	27
Seminoles	0	3	7	0	10

at Boston College

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	3	7	14	14	38
Eagles	7	7	0	17	31

Alabama State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hornets	3	3	6	0	12
Seminoles	14	7	14	14	49

at Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	7	0	10	0	17
No. 8 Gators	7	23	7	3	40

vs. Arizona State (Sun Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seminoles	0	0	14	0	14
Sun Devils	3	6	0	11	20

Honors

Weekly awards Player Award Week Awarded Ref. Cam Akers ACC Running Back of the Week Week 2 Week 4 Week 9 [38][39][40] Marvin Wilson ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week Week 4 [39] Alex Hornibrook ACC Quarterback of the Week Week 5 [41] Cyrus Fagan ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week Week 5 [41] Amari Gainer ACC Rookie of the Week Week 5 [41] Hamsah Nasirildeen ACC Defensive Back of the Week Week 9 Week 11 Week 12 [40][42] [43] Tamorrion Terry ACC Receiver of the Week Week 11 [42]

All-ACC

The Seminoles had six players selected to the All-ACC team, with four defensive selections and two offensive selections.[44]

• Marvin Wilson (First Team)
• Cam Akers (Second Team)
• Tamorrion Terry (Second Team)
• Hamsah Nasirildeen (Second Team)
• Asante Samuel, Jr. (Third Team)
• Stanford Samuels III (Honorable Mention)

Personnel

Coaching staff

Florida State Seminoles coaches

Head Coach Willie Taggart (thru 11/2/19) Odell Haggins (interim) Assistant Coaches Kendal Briles – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Harlon Barnett – Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs Randy Clements – Offensive Line Odell Haggins – Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line Raymond Woodie – Linebackers Telly Lockette – Tight Ends Ron Dugans – Wide Receivers Donte' Pimpleton – Running Backs Mark Snyder – Special Teams Irele Oderinde – Strength and Conditioning George Henshaw – Offensive Assistant Stanford Samuels Jr. – Defensive Assistant Jim Leavitt – Quality Control Analyst

[45]

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
2	52	Cam Akers	RB	Los Angeles Rams

References

1. "Florida State fires Taggart after less than 2 years". ESPN. November 3, 2019.
2. "Cam Akers Drafted By Los Angeles Rams In Second Round". Seminoles.com. April 24, 2020.
3. Powell, Chaunte'l (December 23, 2018). "Florida State hires Kendal Briles to be offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach". Orlando Sentinel.
4. Powell, Chaunte'l (January 20, 2019). "Florida State names Ron Dugans Seminoles' new receiver coach". Orlando Sentinel.
5. Powell, Chaunte'l (February 21, 2019). "FSU names Randy Clements its new offensive line coach". Orlando Sentinel.
6. Adelson, Andrea (February 4, 2019). "Florida State dismisses QB Deondre Francois from team". ESPN.com.
7. Rollins, Khadrice (March 10, 2019). "Former Wisconsin Quarterback Alex Hornibrook Announces Transfer to Florida State". Sports Illustrated.
8. "Travis Granted Immediate Eligibility". Florida State University. August 12, 2019.
9. "Florida State 2019 Football Commits". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
10. Weiler, Curt (February 6, 2019). "FSU signing class a step towards culture Willie Taggart wants to create". Tallahassee Democrat.
11. "Offenses Shine As Gold Tops Garnet, 27-21". Seminoles.com. April 6, 2019.
12. "Clemson Favored to Continue ACC Football Championship Run". theACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
13. "2019 Preseason All-ACC Football Team Announced". theACC.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
14. "Impact Foundation names 2019 watch list". LottImpactTrophy.org. Pacific Club Impact Foundation. May 17, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
15. "Akers, Wilson On Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
16. "Akers Named To Doak Walker Award Watch List". July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
17. "Terry Named To Biletnikoff Award Watch List". July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
18. "Terry Named To Biletnikoff Award Watch List". July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
19. "Jackson Named To Butkus Award Watch List". July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
20. "Wilson On Outland, Nagurski Watch Lists". July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
21. "Tyler Named To Ray Guy Award Watch List". July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
22. "Brooks Named To Wuerffel Trophy Watch List". July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
23. Kaur, Harmeet. "The FSU-Boise State game is being moved to Tallahassee over Hurricane Dorian". CNN. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
24. "Promising Start Bucked By Broncos, 36-31". August 31, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
25. "Akers Carries Noles To Dramatic 45-44 OT Win". September 7, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
26. "Noles Fall One Play Short In 31-24 Loss At UVA". September 14, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
27. "'Now We Know We Can Do It': Noles Find Fourth Quarter Answers, Beat Cards 35-24". September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
28. "'Another Step In The Right Direction': Hornibrook-led Noles Finish Off Wolfpack, 31-13". September 28, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
29. "Football Falls in Clemson To No. 2 Tigers". October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
30. "Football Falls 22-20 At Wake". October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
31. "Akers-Led Noles Rush To Homecoming Romp". October 26, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
32. "Second-Half Rally Fizzles In 27-10 Setback". November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
33. "Three-and-Odell!". November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
34. "Noles "Bowl" Over Hornets With Big-Play Barrage". November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
35. "Noles Can't Keep Pace; Turn Toward Future". November 30, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
36. "Football Falls Short, 20-14, In Sun Bowl". December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
37. "2019 Florida State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
38. "ACC Announces Football Players of the Week". Atlantic Coast Conference. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
39. "ACC Announces Football Players of the Week". Atlantic Coast Conference. September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
40. "Three From Clemson Lead ACC Players of the Week". Atlantic Coast Conference. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
41. "ACC Announces Football Players of the Week". Atlantic Coast Conference. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
42. "Williams and Etienne Headline Week 11 ACC Players of the Week". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
43. "Pickett, Etienne Headline Week 12 Football Players of the Week". Atlantic Coast Conference. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
44. "Wilson Leads Six Seminoles To Receive All-ACC Recognition". December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
45. https://seminoles.com/staff-directory/department/football/