Florida State didn’t just get after Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula on Saturday - it overwhelmed him. The Seminoles piled up 10 sacks, their most in a game since 1997, and the edge room had a clear hand in turning that pressure into a wrecking ball.
Nick Williams, in his first season in Tallahassee, is already leaving a mark. Hired on Dec. 11 as FSU’s edges coach and pass rush specialist, the Bainbridge, Georgia, native brought a résumé built around disruptive fronts at Georgia, Texas A&M, Colorado and Syracuse. Against Virginia, that background showed up in a big way.
Texas A&M transfer Rylan Kennedy led the charge with two sacks. JUCO addition Jalen Anderson added a 13-yard sack on third-and-13.
Deante McCray got home in the fourth quarter, and Deamontae Diggs finished things off from the Jack spot with the final sack on fourth-and-26. In all, nine different Seminoles chipped in on the 10-sack night.
That was a huge jump from where Florida State had been early in the season. Through four games, the Seminoles were averaging 1.75 sacks per game, which tied for 76th nationally.
Against SMU and Alabama, they combined for just one sack on Kevin Jennings and Keelon Russell. Against Virginia, they flipped the script completely.
"Nick [Williams], outstanding job of bringing guys along," Mike Norvell said Monday.
The results fit Williams’ track record. At Syracuse over the past two seasons, he helped the Orange go 10-3 in 2024, with Fadil Diggs finishing fifth in the ACC with 7.5 sacks that year. Before that, Williams coached Colorado’s defensive line in 2023 and worked on Texas A&M’s defensive staff in 2021 and 2022, when every starter on that Aggies defensive line signed an NFL contract.
His foundation came at Georgia, where he began as a student assistant and later served as a graduate assistant. During his time there, the Bulldogs led the nation in rushing defense in both seasons as a graduate assistant, and the 2019 team topped the country in scoring defense at 12.6 points per game. Williams worked with Travon Walker, the No. 1 overall pick in 2022, along with first-round picks Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt.
He’s making noise on the recruiting trail too. Williams has been one of the most active recruiters on FSU’s staff, and his previous stops explain why.
Syracuse signed the three best classes in school history during his time there, including the highest-ranked class in program history in 2026. His 2023 Colorado class finished fifth in the Pac-12, and the 2022 Texas A&M class he helped land ranked No. 1 nationally.
That footprint is already showing up in Tallahassee. Williams has secured commitments from two 2027 edge rushers, Anthony Cavallaro and Jaxon Holly, and he also helped set the table for recently reclassified 2028 edge Meshi Dobson. Cavallaro was in Tallahassee for the Virginia win.
One game won’t define the season, and Florida State still has work to do on defense in several areas. But when the Seminoles needed their edges to take over, they did exactly that - and Williams was right in the middle of it.
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Ashton Daniels Just Put Florida States Offense In A New Spotlight
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The bigger takeaway is how quickly Daniels has turned one big afternoon into national recognition, while also giving Florida State a clear centerpiece for the stretch run. He was named ACC Quarterback of the Week after setting multiple school and conference marks, and teammate Andre Otto also drew league honors as ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week. The numbers from that Virginia game will get plenty of attention, but the real question now is how high Daniels can keep raising the bar. [Read more 🡒]