FSU linebacker announces he will return to the Seminoles for the 2022 season

Florida State had a disappointing 2021, but they received good news on Monday as they prepare for next season. 

Linebacker Amari Gainer will return to play for the Seminoles next year. He made the announcement on Twitter.

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— AMARI FERRARI 🏎💨 (@AmariGainer) December 13, 2021

In four seasons, including a 2018 redshirt year, Gainer has 193 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. Additionally, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker has forced four fumbles. His best year was his redshirt freshman year in 2019, in which he had 69 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

This season, Gainer ranked fifth on the team in tackles with 59. He posted one sack as part of a Florida State defensive effort that racked up 33 sacks, 12 of which were by Georgia transfer Jermaine Johnson. Gainer also contributed on special teams for over 100 snaps this year.

Florida State has switched up a lot of their defense over the last four years while Gainer has played for the Seminoles, so he has worn many hats on defense. This year, he is the seventh-rated linebacker in the ACC, according to PFF and played a total of 404 snaps, although he saw the field less later in the season this year.

He reportedly considered transferring or declaring for the NFL Draft but elected to stay home for one more season. Gainer is from Tallahassee and had numerous Power Five offers coming out of high school, including Georgia, Oklahoma and Miami. He was a three-star recruit, his father played wide receiver at FSU in the 1980s, and his mom went to FSU as well. 

Seminoles looking ahead to 2022

Florida State is not bowl eligible for the third time in four years, so their season is over. They finished 5-7, but they looked much better in the second half of the season after starting 0-4 for the first time in school history.

The Seminoles offense averaged 27.6 points per game this season, the fifth straight year in which they were held under 30 points per contest. The scoring defense was much improved from 2020, as they bested last year’s average points allowed by nearly 10 points. In the second half of the season, no opponent exceeded 30 points.

Looking ahead to 2022, the Seminoles out of conference games include Duquesne, LSU, Louisiana and the annual matchup with Florida.