The Seminoles will be missing at least one veteran on Saturday night.
The Florida State Seminoles are facing a growing list of injuries as they head into Week 4 of the 2024 season. Several key players were unavailable during their surprising loss to Memphis, and they will still be missing at least one experienced offensive player when they face Cal on Saturday night.
As confirmed by a Florida State representative, redshirt senior offensive tackle Jeremiah Byers will miss his third consecutive game. He was sidelined with a lower-body injury during the matches against Boston College and Memphis, but he appears to be making some progress.
Three weeks ago, Byers was seen with a large brace on his leg and relying on crutches. However, by last weekend, he had improved enough to no longer need the crutches and was moving well along the sideline.
Aside from Byers, it’s uncertain whether the Seminoles will be missing any other players against Cal, with another update expected later today.
Pete Thamel of ESPN and College GameDay reported this morning that redshirt senior offensive tackle Darius Washington, redshirt junior safety Shyheim Brown, and redshirt freshman wide receiver Jalen Brown are set to return to face the Golden Bears. Senior linebacker Cam Riley’s status remains a game-time decision.
This is positive news for Florida State, as Washington and Brown are key contributors to the team. Brown missed last week due to an undisclosed issue, while Washington suffered an injury during pregame warmups. Both Brown and Riley exited early in the loss to Memphis after sustaining injuries in the first half.
With Byers still unavailable, redshirt senior offensive tackle Robert Scott is expected to step in as a starter. Scott has played in the last two games, starting at both tackle positions. Other players to watch include redshirt sophomore Jaylen Early, redshirt freshman Andre’ Otto, and senior Jacob Rizy, who may also see action on Saturday.
If Riley can’t go, the Seminoles will rely on redshirt senior DJ Lundy, sophomore Blake Nichelson, and sophomore Justin Cryer. It’s still unclear if redshirt sophomores Omar Graham Jr. and Shawn Murphy will be active. If they aren’t, redshirt freshman DeMarco Ward could see playing time for the second consecutive game.
The matchup between Florida State and Cal is set to kick off at 7:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, September 21, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
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