20182017 FSU FSU FOOTBALL FOOTBALL | SPRING | VS. ALABAMA GUIDE 2018 QUICK FACTS FSU BEGINS NEW ERA UNDER HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART President .....................................................................John Thrasher » Willie Taggart was named the 10th full-time head coach in Florida State history, and only the third different Location ..................................................................Tallahassee, Fla. full-time head coach since 1976, on Dec. 5, 2017, ushering in an era of Lethal Simplicity on offense and a Enrollment ................................................................................41,867 defense made up of Bad Asses and War Daddies Founded ........................................................................................1851 Symbol ...............................................................................Seminoles » Florida State's coaching staff boasts experience from every Power 5 conference. Willie Taggart, Alonzo Colors .......................................................................Garnet and Gold Hampton, David Kelly, Telly Lockette, Donte' Pimpleton and Raymond Woodie have coached in the Pac-12. All-Time Record .................................................................551-250-17 Harlon Barnett, Walt Bell, Greg Frey and Mark Snyder have coached in the Big Ten. Barnett, Kelly and Snyder Seasons ............................................................................................72 have coached in the SEC. Bell, Kelly and Odell Haggins have coached in the ACC, and Bell and Kelly have Bowl Appearances ..........................................................................47 coached in the Big 12 Consecutive Bowl Appearances ........................... 36 (1982-Pres.) Consecutive Winning Seasons ...............................41 (1977-Pres.) » Despite an average age of only 45.9 years old at the start of spring practice, Florida State's 11 full-time Stadium .......Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium coaches enter the 2018 season with 224 years of combined coaching experience Stadium Capacity ....................................................................79,560 Surface .........................................................................Natural Grass » According to SportsSource analytics, Willie Taggart has the 2nd-highest percentage of big-play runs among Athletics Director ..........................................................Stan Wilcox FBS head coaches since 2015. He has had 263 rushing plays, 14.67 percent of rushes called, gain at least 12 Head Coach .................................................................Willie Taggart yards. He also ranks 5th with 8.5 percent of his plays earning at least 20 yards and 6th with 2.5 percent of his Record at FSU ........................................................0-0 (1st season) plays gaining at least 40 yards. Coach Taggart's overall big play percentage of 16.08 ranks 7th Overall Record ..................................................46-50 (9th season) Letterwinners Returning/Lost ................................................54/35 » Since the start of the 2015 season, Coach Taggart's record is 25-12 (.676) and his offense is averaging 37.84 Starters Returning/Lost ...........................................................11/11 points per game, the 5th-highest scoring average among FBS head coaches in that timespan » The Florida State football team made its 36th straight bowl appearance, the longest streak in college 2018 SCHEDULE football history, and secured the program’s 41st consecutive winning season in 2017 Date Opponent Series History (Streak) » Florida State's bowl streak dates back to the 1982 Gator Bowl. Nebraska had an NCAA-record 35-year bowl Sept. 3 VIRGINIA TECH* (8 p.m.) FSU leads 23-12-1 (W1) streak from 1969-2003. The next longest active bowl streak in the country is Virginia Tech’s 25 straight Sept. 8 SAMFORD FSU leads 2-0 (W2) Sept. 15 at Syracuse* FSU leads 10-1 (W10) » The Seminoles' current streak of 41 consecutive winning seasons is second in FBS history, trailing only a Sept. 22 NORTHERN ILLINOIS FSU leads 1-0 (W1) stretch of 42 straight winning seasons compiled by Notre Dame from 1889-1932 Sept. 29 at Louisville* FSU leads 14-4 (L2) Oct. 6 at Miami* UM leads 32-30 (L1) » FSU earned a 38-22 victory at Florida last season, which was a program-record fifth straight in the series and Oct. 20 WAKE FOREST* FSU leads 29-6-1 (W6) extended the school-record winning streak in Gainesville to four Oct. 27 CLEMSON* FSU leads 20-11 (L3) Nov. 3 at North Carolina State* FSU leads 26-12 (L1) » The Seminoles won five of their last six games of 2017, including each of their final four. In their season- Nov. 10 at Notre Dame FSU leads 6-2 (W3) ending four-game winning streak, the Seminoles outscored their opponents 199-51, including a 77-6 win vs. Nov. 17 BOSTON COLLEGE* FSU leads 11-5 (L1) Delaware State that tied Oregon’s output against Southern Utah for the most points scored in a game by an Nov. 24 FLORIDA UF leads 34-26-2 (W5) FBS team in 2017 *ACC Game; HOME GAME » FSU’s 199 points scored in its last four games of 2017 marked the highest-scoring four-game stretch for the program since 2013 when the Seminoles scored 221 total points vs. Syracuse, vs. Idaho, at Florida and vs. Duke in the ACC Championship Game TABLE OF CONTENTS Offense .....................................2 Offense Bios ..........................28 » Florida State enters 2018 with the 6th-longest active winning streak in the country, and the Seminoles Defense/Special Teams..........3 Special Teams Bios .............. 30 scored at least 38 points in each of their four victories to end the season. That stretch marked the first time Head Coach Willie Taggart ....4 Defense Bios ..........................31 since 2013 FSU scored at least 38 points in four straight games Assistant Coaches ..................7 Early Enrollee Bios ................33 Support Staff .........................25 Signee Bios ............................34 » The Seminoles' 2017 season opener vs. No. 1 Alabama had 12.335 million viewers, the most-watched non- Numerical Roster ..................26 2017 Statistics ......................35 Alphabetical Roster..............27 2017 Game Recaps ................45 conference regular season game of the year across any network and the highest-rated game all year on ABC SEMINOLES.COM 1 2018 FSU FOOTBALL | SPRING GUIDE GAME NOTES: OFFENSE FSU RETURNS OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION RETURNING STAT LEADERS » Florida State returns 97.5 percent of its passing yards from 2017, as well as 95.8 percent of its (from 2017 season) total offense yards, 93.8 percent of its rushing yards, 66.3 percent of its scoring, 62.4 percent RUSHING YARDS of its receptions and 57.5 percent of its receiving yards. The Seminoles also return the individual CAM AKERS - 1,024^ leader in each stat category ^ - FSU Freshman Record QUARTERBACKS RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS » Florida State is the only Power 5 team to have two quarterbacks with at least 10 starts for their CAM AKERS & JACQUES PATRICK - 7 current school as Deondre Francois has 14 starts and James Blackman has 12. Over the last two seasons, the duo has combined for 5,790 passing yards and 40 touchdowns on 427-of-730 passing PASSING YARDS » Blackman started the last 12 games of the 2017 season and was the first FSU true freshman to JAMES BLACKMAN - 2,230 start at quarterback since Chip Ferguson in 1985 » Blackman recorded the most passing yards (2,230) and TD passes (19) by an FSU true freshman in PASSING TOUCHDOWNS program history in 2017. He recorded 10 of his touchdown passes during Florida State's season- JAMES BLACKMAN - 19 ending, four-game winning streak » Blackman saved his best performance of the season for the bowl game, finishing with 233 passing RECEPTIONS yards and a career-high four touchdown passes, breaking the record for most passing touchdowns NYQWAN MURRAY - 40 in the Independence Bowl's 42-game history, and was named the game's Offensive MVP » Francois was named the 2016 ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year after RECEIVING YARDS passing for 3,350 yards and 20 touchdowns. His passing yards are the 5th-highest single-season NYQWAN MURRAY - 604 total in program history RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS » Francois was 19-of-33 for 210 yards and one touchdown before suffering a season-ending injury in NYQWAN MURRAY - 4 the 2017 season opener vs. No. 1 Alabama Redshirt freshman Bailey Hockman, who passed for 2,604 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior in » ALL-PURPOSE YARDS high school, will join Blackman and Francois in a battle for the starting position CAM AKERS - 1,140 RUNNING BACKS TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS » Florida State returns one of the nation's most dynamic rushing duos as rising sophomore Cam JAMES BLACKMAN - 2,198 Akers and rising senior Jacques Patrick combined for 1,772 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2017 » Akers broke Dalvin Cook's Florida State freshman rushing record and posted the 9th-highest POINTS SCORED single-season rushing total in school history with 1,024 yards in 2017, eclipsing Cook's 1,008 yards RICKY AGUAYO - 96 from 2014. Akers' four 100-yard rushing games ranked 2nd all-time among FSU freshmen » Patrick was the Seminoles' leading rusher in three games in 2017. He scored six of his seven KICKOFF RETURNS rushing touchdowns over the final five games of the season after missing two games due to injury KEITH GAVIN - 25.4 » Patrick enters 2018 tied for 18th on FSU's career rushing touchdown list with 16 and his 1,412 career rushing yards