{"id":285402,"date":"2026-05-26T23:44:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T23:44:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/285402\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T23:44:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T23:44:18","slug":"one-fsu-football-sophomore-is-a-must-watch-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/285402\/","title":{"rendered":"One FSU Football Sophomore is a Must-Watch in 2026"},"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=\"63\">Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Tony White overhauled a significant portion of the team heading into the 2026 offseason, but managed to retain key pieces on defense, such as Ja&#8217;Bril Rawls and Ashlynd Barker. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"66\">While those two will be locking down the secondary, quite possibly one of the biggest retentions upfront was a true freshman from last year.<\/p>\n<p>CBS Lists Mandrell Desir as Top-15 Returning Player<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01ksgn4np8r3f7manm60.jpg\" alt=\"Kent State quarterback DeShields is hit as he throws the ball by Florida State defensive lineman Mandrell Desir.\" title=\"Kent State quarterback DeShields is hit as he throws the ball by Florida State defensive lineman Mandrell Desir.\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6j\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sep 20, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes quarterback Dru DeShields (12) is hit as he throws the ball by Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Mandrell Desir (93) during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6n\">CBS Sports <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/college-football\/news\/college-football-sophomore-define-2026-playoff-race\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">highlighted<\/a> Florida State defensive lineman Mandrell Desir as one of the top returning players in college football entering the 2026 season, further reinforcing the growing national attention surrounding the Seminoles\u2019 young defensive front.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6q\">&#8220;He recorded 30 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks last season as a freshman before earning All-ACC Honorable Mention and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up accolades. Desir&#8217;s sack total was the third-most in program history for a first-year player,&#8221; Brad Crawford wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Defining Florida State Up Front in 2026<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01ksgp5mqmhptsq96w2q.jpg\" alt=\"Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones has the ball knocked away by Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Mandrell Desir.\" title=\"Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones has the ball knocked away by Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Mandrell Desir.\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"73\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov 15, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) has the ball knocked away by Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Mandrell Desir (93) during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-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=\"77\">What makes Desir\u2019s rise interesting is that it still feels somewhat under the radar nationally despite the production already being there. The Freshman All-American totaled 30 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks in 2025 while flashing the type of explosiveness that made him one of the ACC\u2019s most disruptive young defenders.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7a\">For a program searching for an identity up front, retaining and developing young players like the Desir twins may prove just as important as anything Florida State accomplished in the transfer portal this offseason. Another aspect entering 2026 is how opposing offenses choose to attack Florida State\u2019s defensive front without former FSU star Darrell Jackson Jr. occupying the interior.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7d\">That reality emphasizes the importance of returning defensive line pieces taking another step this fall. Deamonte Diggs&#8217; return to health could provide a major boost after an injury sidelined him early in 2025. Kevin Wynn\u2019s continued development could also quietly become an important factor along the defensive front.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7g\">It raises an interesting question entering 2026: What will Florida State\u2019s defensive front actually look like? That balance matters because offenses will test the Seminoles differently this season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7j\">Opposing teams now have an offseason of film on the Seminoles\u2019 young pass rushers, meaning production will likely be more difficult to come by than it was during stretches of last season. How Florida State replaces the interior presence of Darrell Jackson Jr. while generating pressure off the edge in White\u2019s 3-3-5 scheme could become one of the defense\u2019s defining storylines this fall.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7m\">The &#8216;Noles appear to have more athleticism and movement than pure size along the defensive front entering 2026. Mandrell and Darryll Desir give Florida State a pass rush capable of creating pressure from multiple spots in White\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7v\">Sign up for our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/fsu\/newsletter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/fsu\/florida-state-seminoles-college-basketball\/facebook.com\/NoleGameday\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nolegameday?s=21&amp;t=nyCeWGVWMsSpULqWCupqGA\" rel=\"nofollow\">X<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nolegameday\/?hl=en\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for the latest news.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Florida State head coach Mike Norvell and defensive coordinator Tony White overhauled a significant portion of the team&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-285402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285402","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=285402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}