Latest / North Florida Sports Network Podcast / #234: FSU Transfer Portal and NFL Playoffs
Transcript
- 0:22Speaker 1: Hey, welcome back to the North Florida sports network.
- 0:25Speaker 1: Happy New Year.
- 0:26Speaker 1: It's 2024.
- 0:28Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, where did 2023 go?
- 0:33Speaker 1: away forever Let us never speak of it again in the rear rear mirror.
- 0:37Speaker 1: We're going to talk to you about some transfer portal targets as we move into the new year.
- 0:44Speaker 1: As the Florida State Seminoles look to reload for next year they need, we'll talk about what positions they need.
- 0:53Speaker 1: We are going after we got Jimmy Reno here Going to get into the quarterbacks.
- 0:59Speaker 1: It looks like Cam Ward is going to the NFL.
- 1:01Speaker 1: Right, that's just bro just just broved.
- 1:06Speaker 1: Yeah, so it's DJ Owie is the main target for Florida State or the NFL for him.
- 1:13Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, hopefully we'll have some on that.
- 1:16Speaker 1: I mean.
- 1:19Speaker 1: I yeah, willie Simmons is getting courted by Manny Diaz to come up to Duke, which is huge, especially after the yeah all the transfers to he pulled.
- 1:31Speaker 1: We're going to talk to Keith from Fangs Up later in the week, so we'll keep an eye on that, but today I don't see anything else going on in college football.
- 1:44Speaker 2: We're talking about right now they're going to Tennessee and Iowa playing the Cheez-It Bowl right.
- 1:51Speaker 1: Oh man, that's a big one, that's the big game for today.
- 1:54Speaker 2: Yeah, other than that, though, it's just a nice little, nice little Monday.
- 1:58Speaker 2: I tell you, one way I love to start the new year off is with the 49ers, and the number one seed lock up.
- 2:04Speaker 2: Yeah, that was nice, nice, thank you very much.
- 2:06Speaker 2: Cardinals Football Calamari.
- 2:09Speaker 1: Monday Got him and we got the NFL winding up.
- 2:12Speaker 1: Both number one seeds were clinched yesterday yeah.
- 2:16Speaker 2: That was a tough one.
- 2:17Speaker 1: The theory of that photo is starting to really.
- 2:21Speaker 1: Yeah, purple and red.
- 2:23Speaker 1: You got the Niners in the NFC, the Ravens in the AFC.
- 2:27Speaker 1: Both will have two by weeks.
- 2:29Speaker 1: Pretty much Wonder who will play in those games.
- 2:33Speaker 1: Next week Dolphins got destroyed and they'll have a huge game against the Bills.
- 2:41Speaker 1: That will decide the AFC East and who will be hosting a playoff game.
- 2:46Speaker 1: You got a lot of matchups.
- 2:49Speaker 1: The NFC South is going to come down to the last week.
- 2:52Speaker 1: Surprise there.
- 2:54Speaker 1: Yeah, right, so as the Saints shut out the Bucks and.
- 3:00Speaker 1: But the Bucks still hold control their destiny.
- 3:03Speaker 1: They just have to beat Carolina next week.
- 3:07Speaker 2: I'm saying it, man, watch out for the Browns.
- 3:09Speaker 2: Yeah, the dolphins can avoid playing the Browns in the playoffs.
- 3:13Speaker 1: Well, who can find a way to do that?
- 3:15Speaker 1: Who can beat the?
- 3:15Speaker 1: Who really can beat the Ravens?
- 3:17Speaker 1: The Ravens will beat themselves.
- 3:18Speaker 1: That's the.
- 3:19Speaker 1: Yeah, we'll find out.
- 3:20Speaker 1: I said yesterday, man, they're playing too early.
- 3:22Speaker 1: Well, that old it's too high.
- 3:26Speaker 1: He's going to face a lot of it this year.
- 3:28Speaker 1: I mean, marj Jackson is probably going to win the MVP after after yesterday's performance he's he's the quarterback on that team.
- 3:37Speaker 1: He's won it before I see him.
- 3:40Speaker 1: I see I saw that yesterday maybe taking place, but the question on the mar has always been what's he going to do in the playoffs?
- 3:49Speaker 1: So he'll have his best shot ever.
- 3:51Speaker 1: I think he has.
- 3:52Speaker 1: He has a.
- 3:53Speaker 1: There's no excuses.
- 3:54Speaker 1: This year you have wide receivers.
- 3:56Speaker 1: I love the draft pick from Boston College Flowers.
- 3:59Speaker 1: I mean you could see that everyone was going after that guy.
- 4:02Speaker 1: I mean he stood out, we watched him.
- 4:04Speaker 1: He stood out on the.
- 4:06Speaker 2: yeah, you know, I everybody going into last season, everybody was so high on Josh Downs and I mean Josh Downs is good man, you know right with good reason, but like they kind of just forgot about the day.
- 4:16Speaker 2: Oh man, dude, he Flowers was the best.
- 4:19Speaker 2: He was a steal from multiple years in the conference.
- 4:21Speaker 1: Great pick for the Ravens.
- 4:23Speaker 1: And then they went and got Odell too.
- 4:25Speaker 2: So I mean that vet out there, I mean you have weapons.
- 4:28Speaker 1: now they have a running game and then just Lamar's threat to run himself at any point.
- 4:33Speaker 1: Now we'll see if he can do in the playoffs.
- 4:35Speaker 1: All right, well, let's, let's take it back to college.
- 4:39Speaker 1: We're gonna.
- 4:41Speaker 2: we're right here in Florida, we're gonna talk about FSU.
- 4:45Speaker 1: We all know talked about.
- 4:46Speaker 1: We're not gonna talk about the snub.
- 4:48Speaker 1: We're not gonna talk about that's over.
- 4:50Speaker 2: You know the orange bowl grab, you know looking forward new season right.
- 4:56Speaker 1: What are the positions?
- 4:57Speaker 1: They need a quarterback.
- 4:58Speaker 2: Yeah, you start with QB.
- 4:59Speaker 2: Yeah, let's start there.
- 5:00Speaker 2: Big development cam ward Nalts is that he's gonna go an FL draft.
- 5:04Speaker 2: You know, a couple days ago it there were a lot of reports that he was just down to Miami or the draft.
- 5:11Speaker 2: I Think Florida State has been targeting DJ Primarily for at least the last week right, I think you've liked that better the whole time, right, what I you know, what concerns me is that you know he may be weighing the NFL right, right, so We'll have to see there, I would say, if it's not done by this time tomorrow then, you got to start really looking at your other guys.
- 5:39Speaker 2: Right, other options.
- 5:40Speaker 2: Yeah, because they have to have one without question, right now you have, and if you don't get.
- 5:46Speaker 1: You have Brock Lynn and their true freshman, Luke Roman huh.
- 5:50Speaker 2: Right, yeah, yeah, that's the only scholarship quarterbacks.
- 5:54Speaker 2: Yeah, what a, what a new error.
- 5:56Speaker 2: You'd be rolling in there with three, which is not ideal anyway right.
- 6:00Speaker 1: So who are some?
- 6:01Speaker 1: We've talked a lot about cam ward and DJ.
- 6:03Speaker 1: If those guys decided well, cam ward has a DJ decided to go to the NFL.
- 6:08Speaker 1: Who are some other guys to walk out?
- 6:11Speaker 1: Look out for.
- 6:13Speaker 2: I mean the familiar names KJ, jefferson, guy from Arkansas, arkansas yeah, until the eyes are enrolled, they're still kind of fair game.
- 6:24Speaker 2: I mean there's still will Howard out there, although everybody expects he's going to Ohio State.
- 6:29Speaker 2: You know, there's not a whole lot of high-end Experience right quarterbacks out there, like DJ is probably.
- 6:38Speaker 2: I mean, he's far and away the best you have in terms of what fits and right.
- 6:44Speaker 2: Yeah, so what?
- 6:46Speaker 1: what do you think he's weighing out?
- 6:47Speaker 1: Probably?
- 6:48Speaker 2: the NFL NFL.
- 6:49Speaker 1: But like I wonder what's going through.
- 6:51Speaker 1: Like the offer, is it enough?
- 6:53Speaker 1: Compared to what you would get?
- 6:56Speaker 1: How much could you improve your NFL stock by coming back?
- 7:01Speaker 2: Right and I'm sure he wants to know that.
- 7:03Speaker 2: You know, I don't know, maybe, maybe he, he lacks a little bit of confidence in what Florida States wide receiver room looks like right now.
- 7:11Speaker 2: I, I don't know, man.
- 7:13Speaker 2: I my gut tells me that he's really thinking about the NFL Mm-hmm.
- 7:18Speaker 2: But I Put money on.
- 7:20Speaker 2: I'd say he's probably gonna be the quarterback next year really so you still think that I still think he'll.
- 7:26Speaker 2: He'll decide to To stay in school for another season.
- 7:29Speaker 1: Well, you know, this is really what the NIL and the transfer poor, something that would never happen in the past.
- 7:36Speaker 1: Yeah the NFL is a cutthroat business and I would Take as much experience as you can get Pretty much doing semi-pro football.
- 7:45Speaker 1: You know, yeah, you get to the big leagues.
- 7:48Speaker 1: So in his situation he can't.
- 7:51Speaker 1: You know you have a chance to come back to To the conference you started at.
- 7:56Speaker 1: You know, with experience if you have a good season you can improve your draft grade.
- 8:04Speaker 1: You can get paid this year by coming to Florida State.
- 8:07Speaker 2: Right, it's definitely a very appealing opportunity.
- 8:12Speaker 1: You have a chance to learn another system, which is only gonna make you more valuable at the next level if you show that you can pick it up.
- 8:23Speaker 2: Yeah, there's definitely a bunch of pros.
- 8:25Speaker 1: Take the question marks that you have now in the NFL and bring them with you and improve on those things.
- 8:30Speaker 1: But that's, we'll find out.
- 8:34Speaker 1: Like you said, we'll find out probably tomorrow.
- 8:36Speaker 2: You say I would say if he hasn't made a decision one way or the other by tomorrow, then other names will start leaking out there at QB.
- 8:46Speaker 2: That might be possibilities for Florida State and get Jefferson, and I would say that if it's not DJ, you could also really start looking at the possibility that they might be taking two QBs from the Portal.
- 9:00Speaker 2: One a much more developmental type yeah, because if you're only gonna roll in with three, then you really need that guy to be a high end starter.
- 9:09Speaker 2: Yeah, I just man.
- 9:11Speaker 1: Yeah, if it's four, then it's more of a competition.
- 9:16Speaker 2: Right and the outlook for the season changes dramatically so.
- 9:19Speaker 2: But that's just one position, man.
- 9:21Speaker 2: The team needs quite a bit.
- 9:24Speaker 1: Right, exactly, and I would say that doesn't change.
- 9:27Speaker 1: It all depends on what you get overall.
- 9:30Speaker 1: So let's move on.
- 9:32Speaker 2: What are the?
- 9:32Speaker 1: positions.
- 9:32Speaker 1: What's the next position group you would look at?
- 9:36Speaker 1: That needs to be addressed from the transfer portal.
- 9:38Speaker 2: Up front on the defensive line needs to be priority number one Edge, especially Nick Scalerton.
- 9:44Speaker 2: The transfer from Baylor is their top priority.
- 9:47Speaker 2: He had 10 sack or Purdue, excuse me, 10 sacks last season.
- 9:52Speaker 2: He's a big guy man, he's like 280.
- 9:55Speaker 2: So he's speed, but he's also extremely powerful.
- 9:58Speaker 2: I mean everybody's after him Right now.
- 10:01Speaker 1: The top four, Just like Viss last year yeah yeah, his top four right now.
- 10:05Speaker 2: I mean he's coming from Purdue, I think.
- 10:07Speaker 2: He's originally out of Texas, maybe somewhere in Oklahoma or something.
- 10:11Speaker 2: But Missouri, oklahoma, texas, A&M, those are the other three that are in it with Florida State.
- 10:17Speaker 2: He'll be taking a visit to Tallahassee in this upcoming couple of weeks.
- 10:20Speaker 2: That's priority number one.
- 10:22Speaker 2: I don't know.
- 10:24Speaker 2: They've offered a couple other guys at defensive tackle, one of them, grady Kelly from Colorado State.
- 10:29Speaker 2: He's originally from Navar.
- 10:31Speaker 2: He's a multi-year eligibility guy, so you bring him in and kind of grow him on your own.
- 10:37Speaker 2: Other than that, I think they're waiting to see what happens with Jackson and Farmer before they officially if they're gonna leave before they officially decide.
- 10:46Speaker 2: Then you'll start seeing some other names going out there.
- 10:50Speaker 1: But they're gonna get to play together.
- 10:52Speaker 2: Yeah, come back.
- 10:53Speaker 2: Yeah, we'll find out.
- 10:55Speaker 2: But the defensive front needs a lot of work.
- 10:58Speaker 2: Linebacker needs a lot of work.
- 10:59Speaker 2: They're gonna need to take at least two bonafide, you know, multi-year starters from other Power Five programs.
- 11:06Speaker 2: Right now there's I mean, you got guys like what a Tackett Curtis, the kid out of USC.
- 11:12Speaker 2: I mean I know they like him.
- 11:14Speaker 2: There's a couple of kids from Arkansas that jumped in the portal that they're looking at.
- 11:18Speaker 2: I would like to see the linebacker spot the linebacker coach it.
- 11:25Speaker 2: Whatever's gonna happen there, I want to see it ironed out quickly.
- 11:28Speaker 2: Yeah, I Mean, I didn't watch the game, but it sure sounds like that the young linebackers were Probably as big a culprit as anybody with miss tackles.
- 11:38Speaker 1: Oh yeah, there was all kinds of miss tackles.
- 11:40Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I mean you expect that got out of DB's, but the linebackers may, even if they're freshmen Like you guys, got to be able to at least wrap up when you get your hands on them right.
- 11:48Speaker 2: Not that they're gonna be bad, just that they're not ready.
- 11:52Speaker 1: Yeah, so you need experience that linebacker, yeah, yeah.
- 11:56Speaker 1: What about the secondary Secondary?
- 11:58Speaker 1: Probably your deepest.
- 12:00Speaker 2: Yeah, it's your deepest.
- 12:01Speaker 2: In terms of bodies there's not a lot of not a lot of trans ton of experience.
- 12:05Speaker 2: I know that the Wesley Walker kid from Tennessee, he's somebody that Florida State's looking at that I think he was gonna come in for a visit.
- 12:13Speaker 2: I would.
- 12:13Speaker 2: I would look they kid like that would be great.
- 12:16Speaker 2: I think he's coming in for one.
- 12:18Speaker 2: Last year, a graduate year, he's played at Tennessee, played at Georgia Tech.
- 12:22Speaker 2: He's got a lot of experience.
- 12:24Speaker 2: You add him back there with the young safeties Kind of a nice mix man it.
- 12:29Speaker 2: You know they're I, some top-end guys come available.
- 12:33Speaker 2: Maybe you'll see Florida State take a swing at him in the secondary, okay, but I think they like the young guys that they got all right.
- 12:39Speaker 2: They're gonna take their lumps but yeah, I think they like the guy.
- 12:43Speaker 2: Yeah they're bringing back a lot of good DB's, yeah, and you bring it in a haul right through high school ranks too.
- 12:47Speaker 1: So let's move to the other side of the ball and a position that wide receiver has needs.
- 12:54Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, they need a playmaker there, Experienced one.
- 13:00Speaker 2: You know everybody was holding out hope for Jeremiah Smith with what would have solved something there.
- 13:04Speaker 2: I mean, at least you would have a guy that that had the skills to open it up.
- 13:08Speaker 2: Right Perfect world.
- 13:10Speaker 2: Ikeem Williams, Destin Hill the guys like that continue to develop.
- 13:14Speaker 2: Right, Kentron, he looked really good apparently.
- 13:17Speaker 2: I mean I it sounded really good but I think he got hurt right.
- 13:20Speaker 2: You know, you got some young guys there it wasn't any separation.
- 13:25Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that you just need it.
- 13:27Speaker 2: You do you need a premier receiver?
- 13:29Speaker 2: I don't know if one's gonna jump in the portal, though that's yeah, that's the thing, like I don't know if somebody's no, Keon Coleman's right right, and that's you know, that's the risk you take with portal right.
- 13:39Speaker 2: So, I wonder who are.
- 13:41Speaker 1: They are the people they're targeting at that position right now the kid barber, kid from Troy.
- 13:46Speaker 2: He's more of a slot receiver.
- 13:47Speaker 2: They haven't really no names have popped up in terms of guys that you think there's big body down the field the guy.
- 13:54Speaker 2: Douglas will be back.
- 13:55Speaker 2: Douglas is gonna be back.
- 13:57Speaker 2: His younger brother, jalen Lucas, is another kind of return specialist, lot guy from Indiana.
- 14:02Speaker 2: He's another one to watch.
- 14:04Speaker 2: He's nothing but speed.
- 14:05Speaker 2: Well, really, you need to have these young guys step up in the offseason yeah.
- 14:09Speaker 2: Yeah, and that that, like I said, perfect world.
- 14:11Speaker 2: I mean you lose a guy like Jaheem Bell, but you're also bringing in landed Thomas, right?
- 14:16Speaker 2: And you hope still have warlock yeah, you still have more lock coming in.
- 14:19Speaker 2: I don't.
- 14:20Speaker 2: I don't know that Titan is gonna be a huge necessity in the transfer portal.
- 14:24Speaker 2: Yeah, running back at the penny boon kid from from Toledo, you know, coming in for one last year, right, I won your left graduate transfer.
- 14:34Speaker 2: I would, I would love to get that kid 612, 30, 15 touchdowns this year, yeah, you can't have enough running backs right, right, and you know toa Philly coming back healthy, you'll be bringing in Cam Davis.
- 14:46Speaker 2: You know you got the young Danzie kid that's got some long speed on there.
- 14:49Speaker 2: You still got Kaziah Holmes and Sam Singleton.
- 14:52Speaker 1: Hopefully.
- 14:53Speaker 1: Yeah, up front oh line.
- 14:55Speaker 2: I know they want to bring in a couple guards.
- 14:57Speaker 2: I mean, you're losing your guards.
- 14:58Speaker 2: I Don't know that there's any high-end talent right now at that spot.
- 15:04Speaker 2: We'll see as the as the Weeks progress I don't know some of the games that in today you might see some other Transfers there's games today.
- 15:12Speaker 2: Yeah you know I would.
- 15:13Speaker 2: Tennessee, oh yeah I will.
- 15:15Speaker 2: Offensive linemen man Wisconsin's playing too, so keep an eye out for them.
- 15:18Speaker 2: But I think the biggest needs transfer portal wise on the offensive side, obviously quarterback, quarterback and then and possibly wide receiver.
- 15:28Speaker 2: But defense you've got to rebuild the defense.
- 15:31Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 15:33Speaker 2: Just to bridge Some of that youth, because what it sounds like is that it wasn't well, nobody was that you don't expect to be there playing that game in.
- 15:44Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it.
- 15:45Speaker 1: The only positive from it is they now.
- 15:47Speaker 2: They've now experienced what you know champion, shit.
- 15:50Speaker 1: I tell you what look like that's gonna be the number one team next year.
- 15:54Speaker 2: I'm gonna be there, george, there George.
- 15:56Speaker 1: Yeah, no question.
- 15:57Speaker 1: And then they already have Kobe From Miami.
- 16:01Speaker 1: Yeah, they'll get him from Miami.
- 16:02Speaker 2: They got the running bag Trevor at Florida.
- 16:05Speaker 1: Yeah, it's not like it is out of the best two skill players from those teams and it's not like they didn't even need them.
- 16:11Speaker 2: What are they?
- 16:11Speaker 2: They just signed like the another historic number one recruiting class.
- 16:15Speaker 1: Oh, George is Only getting.
- 16:17Speaker 1: They're not going anywhere, right, and I think that's yeah.
- 16:21Speaker 1: What you need is everyone playing in.
- 16:24Speaker 1: Florida State has a long way to go listen.
- 16:27Speaker 2: The story for next year is, you know, go in with a quarterback that can get you to Charlotte and possibly Sneak out of win.
- 16:36Speaker 2: I don't even think you'll be the favorite going into Charlotte.
- 16:39Speaker 1: No, no, well, you just have to address all you guys do.
- 16:43Speaker 2: Yeah, that's all you got to do find a way to build a roster that can maybe steal the, the ACC and this.
- 16:49Speaker 2: That's jumping the playoffs and see what happens.
- 16:50Speaker 2: All right, well, I we had to go.
- 16:55Speaker 1: We got to get on out of here the first of the year.
- 16:59Speaker 1: We started off a new year, man.
- 17:02Speaker 1: Any new year's resolutions, Jim.
- 17:07Speaker 2: Oh man, what a Watch less ESPN.
- 17:10Speaker 2: Watch no ESPN.
- 17:11Speaker 2: How?
- 17:11Speaker 1: about that.
- 17:12Speaker 1: Yeah, beware, the sport is taking us, but um say you love it though.
- 17:21Speaker 1: Yeah.
- 17:24Speaker 2: I mean, you know it's NFL playoffs are always, always enjoyable.
- 17:30Speaker 1: That's going to be crazy.
- 17:32Speaker 2: A lot of teams in the mix there.
- 17:33Speaker 2: I'm telling you, man, watch out for the Browns.
- 17:36Speaker 2: That defense.
- 17:37Speaker 2: What a story that would be Joe Flacco taking naps in between touchdown drives on the sideline, Like that.
- 17:43Speaker 2: That's Cleveland, though that's.
- 17:48Speaker 1: Cleveland Right Now.
- 17:51Speaker 1: Um, they're in the five-seat.
- 17:55Speaker 1: Green Bay in the seven-seat right now.
- 17:59Speaker 1: If the playoffs ended today, baltimore would be the one-seat and the AFC Miami would be the two-seat and they would be hosting the Colts.
- 18:09Speaker 1: The Bills would be the six-seat and they would be traveling to Kansas City and then the Browns would be the five-seat, traveling to Jacksonville.
- 18:18Speaker 1: But a lot of things are still on the table there and the NFC.
- 18:24Speaker 1: If it ended today, you would have the San Francisco 49ers as the one-seat, you would have the Dallas Cowboys as the two-seat, the Detroit Lions as the three, tampa Bay as the four, philly the five-seat and the Rams and the Packers Round out that playoffs.
- 18:46Speaker 1: Still in the mix are teams.
- 18:48Speaker 1: Seattle is still in the mix, the Saints are still in the mix, the Vikings still have a shot.
- 18:55Speaker 1: I don't know how, but I guess there's some sort of tiebreaker there.
- 18:58Speaker 1: In the AFC you have Indianapolis, houston, pittsburgh, all nine and seven.
- 19:07Speaker 1: So it's going to come down to some tiebreakers there.
- 19:11Speaker 1: It's one of those three teams will get the seven-seat Miami, buffalo, riverside, who gets the home field game and the two-seat.
- 19:22Speaker 1: So we'll keep an eye on all that.
- 19:24Speaker 1: We got some fan-mute talk later in the week.
- 19:26Speaker 1: We'll get caught up.
- 19:27Speaker 1: Hopefully we have some news on Willie Simmons.
- 19:30Speaker 1: And we'll talk to you next time right here on the North Florida Sports Network.
- 19:36Speaker 2: We had to go.
- 19:37Speaker 2: Our ride was here.
- 19:38Speaker 2: We're going to Seattle tonight.