Florida State is now inside two weeks to the season opener, a Week Zero matchup against New Mexico State. Defensive coordinator Tony White feels his group is taking shape at all three levels, and he’s formulating both a best 11 players as well as a depth chart.
“You write down the 11 best players and you figure out how to get those guys on the field first. That’s no different here,” White said after Saturday’s practice. “It’s always good to have the depth. You talk about playing 13, 14, 15 games, you’re going to need some depth. You’re playing offenses in the league that are warp speed, want to run 100 plays a game. We need depth.”
FSU is a week away from releasing a depth chart at the start of game week, with the Seminoles playing host to New Mexico State on Aug. 29 (7 p.m. on CW Network). But White gave some good insight on a few of the key players at each position group.
Defensive line
The rotation at Jack / end features Texas A&M transfer Rylan Kennedy and junior college transfer Jalen Anderson. This battle is less about who is the starter — White said he almost views them as co-starters — as both are expected to see considerable snaps.
“They keep each other on their toes,” White said. “They’ve both done some really nice things.”
White said he thinks true freshman Jaemin Pinckney will also see some reps. “He’s got a unique skill set, too,” White said of the 6-5, 222-pound end.
Nose tackle Kevin Wynn, the top defensive high school signee in the 2025 class, has slimmed down to 310-315 pounds for his second season at FSU. White said he’s happy with Wynn’s weight and development.
“Juju has been good. There’s some flashes of movement. He always jokes that he ran 4.5 at 310,” White said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I see 4.5 but I definitely see way faster than what you put on film last year.’ He’s been looking the best I’ve seen him.”
Linebacker
FSU runs a base 3-3-5 front but often shifts looks up front, taking on a 4-2-5 look. This has been an offseason where Chris Jones has earned consistent praise. “Chris is the edgy one,” White said. “He’s got the attitude.”
In response to a general question about FSU’s linebackers, White spent a considerable amount of time discussing Blake Nichelson. He had 43 tackles in 12 games (six starts) last fall.
“I’ve seen Blake play his best football since I’ve been here,” White said. “He’s starting to be confident, he’s starting to move like a guy who can run 4.5 at 225-230 pounds. He’s being aggressive and going after it. You saw flashes of it last year but on a consistent basis you’re seeing him do things that you’re like, ‘Ok, there it is.’ “
White said he feels the linebackers are a blue collar group. He said Caleb LaVallee has done well in practices after missing 2025 due to injury while also noting that freshmen Izayia Williams and Karon Maycock have stood out in practices and scrimmages.
Defensive backs
White fielded a few questions about the secondary, from how the loss of Karson Hobbs impacts safety depth to position battles at cornerback. He said Antonio Cromartie Jr. and Ricky Knight are working at safety and said both have “done a really nice job.”
Neither Ashlynd Barker not Ma’Khi Jones were discussed on Saturday. Barker is the starter at rover, while Jones is a likely starter at one of the three safety spots. White said he views K.J. Kirkland and Illinois State transfer C.J. Richard as co-starters.
At corner, White expressed his confidence in Ja’Bril Rawls. While not on the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award, Rawls had 40 tackles in seven games before suffering an elbow/arm injury in 2025 and represented FSU at the ACC Kickoff event.
“You got Ja’Bril, he’s one of the best corners in the country,” White said. “His deal is just now being able to day in and day out prove that to himself. Go out there and put in the work like the best corner in the country.”
Another corner who is coming off injury, Quindarrius Jones, is also enjoying a good camp.
“You got Q, who is being the best version of himself on and off the grass,” White said. “It’s showing up. His athletic ability, his size, his twitch, it’s showing up on a consistent basis.”
White also mentioned Nehemiah Chandler, Jamari Howard, Charles Lester III, Chuck Kennon and Zae Thomas as those working at corner in what is a deep position.
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