Warchant Top 40: FSU Football's top players of 2023 (No. 36-40)

It’s time to look ahead to the 2023 Florida State football season with Warchant’s annual list of the Top 40 players on the Seminoles’ roster — the players we expect to make the biggest impact for FSU this fall. (Note: This is not necessarily the 40 most talented players, but the players we believe will have the opportunity and capability to make the biggest impact this season.)

The list was compiled through voting by Warchant’s Gene Williams, Ira Schoffel, Corey Clark, Jeff Cameron, Aslan Hajivandi and Tom Lang.

The Top 40 will be revealed in segments, beginning today with players No. 40 through No. 36.

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No. 40 — Senior WR Winston Wright

Because there are so many variables in play with Florida State’s wide receiver position in 2023 — new playmakers arriving, veterans emerging and a few injury concerns — our staff had a very difficult time coming up with any consensus on where to rank them. And Wright might be the best example of that challenge.

Wright is arguably the most accomplished wide receiver on FSU’s roster, with 129 career receptions for 1,338 yards and seven touchdowns at his previous school, West Virginia. But after he missed all of the 2022 season due to a leg injury sustained in an offseason car accident, it’s difficult to know exactly how large of a role he will play in the Seminoles’ offense this fall.

Wright did participate in full-contact drills during the spring, but FSU’s coaches still took things slow at times to make sure he didn’t endure any setbacks. If he returns to the form he showed with the Mountaineers, Wright could end up being one of Florida State’s top weapons this fall. But as you’ll see from the voting breakdown below, three of our staff members did not have Wright in their top 40. Ira had him highest at No. 33.

Individual rankings — Gene (NR), Ira (33), Corey (37), Jeff (34), Aslan (NR), Tom (NR).

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No. 39 — Junior WR Ja’Khi Douglas

The story is pretty similar here. While Douglas is not coming back from a significant injury, it is difficult to know exactly how he will fit into the wide receiver rotation this fall. He only caught 10 passes in 2022 after missing the first six games due to injury.

What Douglas does possess is elite speed, so it seems likely that Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins will find ways to get him the ball. But it’s difficult to know if he’ll get more reps than Wright and other slot-type receivers on the roster. With FSU boasting so many tall receivers these days, it’s difficult to imagine someone of Douglas’ stature (5-foot-9, 193 pounds) getting many opportunities out wide.

Two of our panelists did not have Douglas ranked at all, while Aslan had him all the way up at No. 30.

Individual rankings — Gene (36), Ira (38), Corey (NR), Jeff (NR), Aslan (30), Tom (39).

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No. 38 — Junior LB DJ Lundy

With linebacker not being a featured position in Florida State’s 4-2-5 defense, it’s difficult for backups at that position to draw high rankings in a list like this. Lundy played pretty well in 2022 as the top backup to starters Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune, and he figures to take on a similar role this fall.

The 6-foot-1, 232-pounder finished sixth on the team last season with 48 tackles, including 5.0 for a loss and 1.5 sacks. He is a very physical player and is continuing to improve his pass coverage skills, which were a major issue earlier in his career.

Corey had Lundy rated highest at No. 31, while two other staffers did not have him on their lists.

Individual rankings — Gene (37), Ira (37), Corey (31), Jeff (37), Aslan (NR), Tom (NR).

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No. 37 — Junior DB Kevin Knowles

After he missed the spring due to an undisclosed injury, and with Greedy Vance emerging as a consistent playmaker, our panel seemed to have questions about how big of a role Knowles will have this fall. He started 11 games at nickelback as a freshman in 2021 and then started seven of the 12 games he played in last season, but Vance seemed to carve into that playing time later in the year.

Knowles recorded 24 tackles last season and recorded one interception with two pass breakups. With the South Florida product sidelined in the spring, Vance and several other defensive backs took turns manning that position during spring drills.

Knowles only appeared on two of our panelists’ ballots, but they had him high enough that he cracked the Top 40. Ira and Gene had him at No. 29.

Individual rankings — Gene (29), Ira (29), Corey (NR), Jeff (NR), Aslan (NR), Tom (NR).

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No. 36 — Junior QB Tate Rodemaker

There’s a chance he might not play one meaningful snap when a game is in doubt this season, but that doesn’t diminish the significance of having an experienced backup quarterback behind senior star Jordan Travis. As Rodemaker showed when he was thrust into action last season at Louisville, when he rallied the Seminoles to a comeback win against the Cardinals, Rodemaker is capable of running Mike Norvell’s offense.

Rodemaker actually appeared in seven games during the 2022 campaign, mostly in mop-up duty, but he completed 18 of 31 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. In the Louisville win, he completed 6 of 10 passes for 109 yards and both scores.

The Georgia product appeared on five of our six ballots, with the highest selection coming from Gene at No. 26.

Individual rankings — Gene (26), Ira (40), Corey (40), Jeff (36), Aslan (NR), Tom (37).

Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.