Akeem Dent explains decision to return to Florida State

Going into the 2023 season, Florida State expects to compete for the ACC Championship. It’s a title that the Seminoles haven’t earned since 2014 and would signal that Florida State has returned to prominence in college football. A key piece of the team is going to be defensive back Akeem Dent.

Dent had the chance to move onto the NFL. He didn’t, though, returning to Tallahassee instead. With Fall Camp underway, Dent explained why he made that decision.

“I mean, the determining factor is this is the closest I’ve ever been to getting into the Playoff with this university,” Akeem Dent said. “So, that was like, for me, a dream come true.”

Florida State appeared in the first ever College Football Playoff back in 2014. That was during the Jimbo Fisher era and came one season after winning a national championship. Florida State met Oregon in the Rose Bowl that season but was blown out to deliver the Seminoles their first loss of the season. Still, most people at the time expected Florida State to return quickly.

That didn’t happen, though, with Florida State declining toward the end of the Fisher era and collapsing after he left for Texas A&M. Since, then, it’s been a struggle to regain prominence in the sport. It seems that under Mike Norvell Florida State has finally regained that prominence and winning the ACC could help land another spot in the College Football Playoff.

“I’d rather take that, leave off on that type of note,” Akeem Dent explained.

Had Dent left after the 2022 season, it would have been the best year he had on campus. The Seminoles went 10-3 and won the Cheez-It Bowl. As the Seminoles look to build on that season, Akeem Dent will likely be a key factor in that.

Akeem Dent on how NIL affected his decision making

NIL has become a complicated topic in college athletics. Through all of that debate, though, it has given student-athletes to legally make some money for their talent while in college. In turn, that’s made it easier for some to stay in school instead of trying to go pro early.

Akeem Dent explained how NIL impacted his own decision-making.

“It helps knowing it’s like a little safety burden, just in case if you do gotta come back another round,” Dent said. “It’s just that safety valve for you, like yeah I can go again and do this again.”