Photo courtesy of Florida State athletics
Fall camp is underway for Florida State. As for us, our position preview series is coming to an end.
During Wednesday’s press conference, head coach Mike Norvell expressed high hopes for the third and most overlooked phase of the game — special teams.
“I believe that is the backbone of your program,” Norvell said. “People can talk about offense and defense. But if you want to see a team that has tremendous culture, tremendous passion, tremendous belief in each other, watch them on special teams.”
Specialists on the Roster:
LS Garrett Murray, RS Jr. (walk-on)
LS James Rosenberry Jr, RS Jr (walk-on)
P Alex Mastromanno, RS Soph.
K Ryan Fitzgerald, RS Soph.
K Aidan Shahriari, RS Soph. (walk-on)
P Zane Smith, RS Fr. (walk-on)
K Max Larson, RS Fr. (walk-on)
K Mac Chiumento, Fr. (walk-on)
Analysis
Florida State’s special teams unit ranked 126th out of 130 FBS teams in the Fremeau Efficiency Index ratings in 2021. The Seminoles will be returning their starting kicker and punter in Ryan Fitzgerald and Alex Mastromanno, respectively, but will be searching for a sense of consistency in the return game.
Fortunately, the coaching staff acquired Wright (23 kickoff returns for 618 yards and one touchdown) and Pittman (15 punt returns for 151 yards) via the transfer portal. Both have collegiate experience in that aspect.
With the uncertainty of Wright’s injury, things begin to get a bit dicey for kick returners. During Tuesday’s media session, Norvell mentioned Spann, Trey Benson, Sam McCall and Azareye’h Thomas as potential candidates for that role.
