Florida State is now just over two months away from kicking off the season. (Photo: Chris Holder)
The 2012 season is just over two months away from kicking off and Florida State is hopeful that 2012 is the year that it returns to national prominence. Game times and telecasts have been set for the first three weeks of the season. The Seminoles will open play at home on September 1st against Murray State before hosting Savannah State on September 8th. Both games are set for 6:00 P.M. EST and will be aired on ESPN3. Florida State will remain home on September 15th as FSU begins ACC play against Wake Forest at noon. Wake Forest defeated the Seminoles 35-30 in Winston-Salem a year ago and have won four of the last six in the series. That game will kickoff at noon EST and will be aired on either ESPN or ESPN2. The only other game with a time set is a Thursday night date with Virginia Tech on November 8th in which the teams will kickoff at 8:00 P.M. EST.
Two Seminoles have already left the program while another may be on his way out. Linebacker Jeff Luc and defensive tackle Darious Cummings have been granted releases from their scholarships. Luc recorded 23 tackles in 19 career games for FSU including 15 with three coming for loss in 2011. Cummings had fought through injury for much of his Florida State career and missed much of the 2011 season with a thumb injury. Cummings played in just five career games for Florida State. Running back James Wilder Jr.’s future in Tallahassee is now very much in question. Wilder was previously arrested on assault charges and recently violated probation by consuming alcohol. Wilder spent 11 days in a Leon County jail and could be kicked off the time. Head coach Jimbo Fisher will wait until the charge is final before making a decision. Wilder carried the ball 35 times for 160 yards and a touchdown as a freshman a year ago.
Four Seminoles were selected in April’s NFL Draft. The first taken however, did not come until the fourth round when the Buffalo Bills took linebacker Nigel Bradham 105th overall. Buffalo took tackle Zebrie Sanders one round later. The Jacksonville Jaguars selected cornerback Mike Harris the sixth round and the Green Bay Packers selected injury prone tackle Andrew Datko in the seventh round.
FSU has already received 13 commitments for its 2013 recruiting class. The most recent was Prestonwood Christian tight end Christian Morgan out of Plano, Texas. Other notable commitments include offensive linemen Ira Denson out of Madison, Florida and Austin Golson out of Prattville, Alabama. Running back Ryan Green out of St. Petersburg Catholic in St. Petersburg, Florida and wide receiver Tony Stevens from Evans High School in Orlando are a pair of standout skill players while linebacker E.J. Levenberry Jr. from Woodbridge, Virginia hopes to one day be the next great Florida State linebacker.
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