Florida State is making a move at center after Bradyn Welch-Joiner was carted off in Saturday’s 31-24 win at Boston College, and interim head coach Rick Stockstill said Monday that Chavez Thompson will take the practice reps there leading into Friday night’s game at Pitt.
That change comes as the Seminoles wait on the status of two defensive linemen who were out last week. Stockstill said Kevin Wynn is not expected back for the trip to Pittsburgh, while Deante McCray remains in the “getting closer” category.
“Do not expect Juju (Wynn) to be back. Kevin’s getting closer. That’s about all,” Stockstill said.
Wynn had been in the starting lineup before missing the Boston College game. He played in Florida State’s first eight games, started five in a row, and has 14 tackles with one sack on the season.
McCray’s situation is still open. He was injured in Florida State’s Halloween night loss to Clemson and sat out last weekend as well.
The Western Kentucky transfer has 13 tackles in eight games, along with four tackles for loss. Two of those came in Florida State’s 38-7 win over Virginia, and one of them was his only sack of the year.
The Seminoles have been dealing with a long list of injuries in the second half of the season. Star wide receiver Duce Robinson, star running backs Sam Singleton, Jr. and Ousmane Kromah have all already been announced as done for the year. Welch-Joiner’s injury only adds to that pile, though former head coach Mike Norvell said Singleton, Jr. could return later on this year.
The official ACC injury report is due three days before conference games and will be updated again hours before kickoff.
Florida State and Pitt are set for Friday, November 13, with kickoff at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.
In Other News...
Florida State Just Lost A Tradition To College Football's New Playoff Era
A major shift is coming to college football, and with it one of the sports most familiar December traditions is on the way out. A new five-year, $1.7 billion media rights deal with ESPN will expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams starting next year, while also eliminating the Power Four conference championship games that have long helped shape the postseason path for programs like Florida State.
ESPN will remain the exclusive broadcast partner of the playoff and will pay an additional $345 million annually for the expanded format, which now includes on-site hosts for the first two rounds and neutral-site New Years Six bowl sites for the quarterfinals. For Florida State, the change is another reminder that the old road to the playoff is being rewritten, and one of the sports most recognizable checkpoints is disappearing with it. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Splatoon Is Starting To Look Like A Real Esports Threat
Florida States esports presence got a noticeable boost at GatorLAN in Gainesville, where the Seminoles sent two Splatoon teams into a large in-person field. Duck Duck Gorse turned in a strong run and finished as the runner-up in the Silver Bracket, while Go my FSU held its own against tougher opposition and reached the Top 8 of the Gold Bracket.
For a program still building its reputation in the collegiate scene, those results matter because they show FSU can compete on more than one level at the same event. Just as important, the players came away with a positive experience representing the school, a sign that the foundation is there for this group to keep growing into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Gets Its First Real Test Against No. 1 Florida
Florida State has spent the early part of the season showing how quickly a roster can take shape when transfers and freshmen click, and Tuesday night will bring the Seminoles their first real measuring stick. No. 1 Florida comes to Tallahassee unbeaten, with a frontcourt that has carried the Gators through their first two games and given them the kind of size and physical presence that tends to test every weakness.
For the Seminoles, this is the kind of matchup that can validate the early returns on a new-look group, especially with multiple players already scoring in double figures. It also gives Florida State a chance to see how its depth and balance hold up against the top-ranked team in the country, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. [Read more 🡒]
