{"id":209563,"date":"2026-03-28T12:17:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T12:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/209563\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T12:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T12:17:11","slug":"florida-state-defender-sets-sights-on-dominant-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/209563\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida State Defender Sets Sights on Dominant 2026 Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5k\">The Florida State Seminoles need a new leader along the defensive front. The group is made up of a mix of moving parts.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5n\">Of the 17 defensive linemen on the roster, redshirt senior Daniel Lyons is the only player who has been with the program for more than two seasons. There are a few Seminoles who are returning for their second year, including redshirt senior Deante McCray.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5q\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/fsu\/florida-state-seminoles-recruiting\/nation-no-3-qb-clear-message-fsu-football-visit-israel-abrams-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">READ MORE: Nation&#8217;s No. 3 QB Sends Clear Message After FSU Football Visit<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5x\">McCray transferred to Florida State from Western Kentucky ahead of the 2025 campaign. He ended up becoming the most productive out of the four defensive linemen the Seminoles added through the portal. He totaled 25 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and one sack in 12 appearances.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"60\">As McCray prepares for his final run at the college level, he&#8217;s feeling quite comfortable in garnet and gold.<\/p>\n<p>Deante McCray Plans To Dominate In 2026<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01kms5x9b5swaev20bfc.jpg\" alt=\"Deante McCra\" title=\"Deante McCra\" width=\"1897\" height=\"1897\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6d\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec 21, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;  Western Kentucky Hilltoppers defensive end Deante McCray (95) during warm ups before the game the South Alabama Jaguars at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6h\">McCray credited defensive line coach Terrance Knighton for his growth over the last year. He&#8217;s been putting in extra work this offseason and is in excellent shape early in spring practice.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6k\">The veteran defender has high expectations for his 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6n\">&#8220;I learned a lot last year. I learned a lot about what it takes to actually be a d-lineman,&#8221; McCray said. &#8220;I learned a lot from coach Knighton and how to be an aggressive d-lineman. Just attack and be relentless.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6q\">&#8220;Being relentless was the biggest thing I learned, and don&#8217;t let nothing stop you in your tracks. Being a more effective pass-rusher for sure,&#8221; McCray added. &#8220;He helped me hone in on my run-stopping skills as well, and I&#8217;m very grateful for that. I plan to dominate this season and help lead this team to a championship.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6t\">McCray feels comfortable in the system and that&#8217;s allowing him to just play free.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6w\">&#8220;Now I know the defense in and out. It&#8217;s just flying around, no more thinking. Just wreak havoc, celebrate with my teammates, catching wins, and help bring this team a championship like I said,&#8221; McCray said. &#8220;I&#8217;m ready to dominate. I&#8217;m more comfortable than I&#8217;ve ever been here, and I plan to showcase that this year.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6z\">McCray is competing for a starting job in the trenches but he&#8217;ll play a large role regardless.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"72\">Florida State scrimmages for the first time this spring on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Who Does Florida State Have Along The Defensive Line For The 2026 Season?<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"78\">Jordan Sanders, Redshirt Senior<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7b\">Deamontae Diggs, Redshirt Senior<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7e\">Deante McCray, Redshirt Senior<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-20\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7h\">Daniel Lyons, Redshirt Senior<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-21\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7k\">Rylan Kennedy, Senior<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-22\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7n\">Jalen Anderson, Junior<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-23\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7q\">Mandrell Desir, Sophomore<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-24\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7t\">Darryll Desir, Sophomore<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-25\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7w\">Kevin Wynn, Redshirt Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-26\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7z\">Tylon Lee, Redshirt Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-27\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"82\">Earnest Rankins, Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-28\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"85\">Franklin Whitley, Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-29\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"88\">Jaemin Pinckney, Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-30\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8b\">Wihtlley Cadeau, Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-31\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8e\">Cam Brooks, Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-32\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8h\">Chris Carbin, Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-33\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8k\">Judah Daniels, Freshman<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-36\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8t\">Stick with\u00a0NoleGameday\u00a0for more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/fsu\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FREE coverage of Florida State<\/a>\u00a0throughout the year.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-37\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8w\">Follow NoleGameday on and<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NoleGameday\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NoleGameday\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nolegameday\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@nolegameday?lang=en\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0TikTok<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Florida State Seminoles need a new leader along the defensive front. The group is made up of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":209564,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-209563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=209563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}