Ranking Florida State football's juniors by potential impact in 2023

The countdown to kickoff is on as Florida State football prepares for its season opener against LSU on September 3 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

There's a lot of hype surrounding the Seminoles as they've received their highest AP ranking since 2017.

As the expectations rise, we take a closer look at FSU's junior class and rank who will have the most substantial impact this fall.

In this series:

Freshmen: King of the Hill: Ranking Florida State football's freshman by potential impact in 2023

Sophomores: Ranking Florida State football's sophomores by potential impact in 2023

33. Thomas Shrader, offensive lineman

Shrader played one game last season, Week 0 against Duquesne and was on the scout team the year prior. The offensive line is deep, especially in this class.

32. Jeremiah Giedrys, wide receiver

The wider receiver room is another one that is extremely deep for FSU. Giedrys has played one game his entire career, against Louisiana last season, and did not log any stats.

31. Malakai Menzer, defensive lineman

While Menzer saw action in 12 of 13 games last season, his only contribution was a 4-yard kick return against Oklahoma.

30. Ben Ostaszewski, offensive lineman

The only action Ostaszewski saw was last season against Louisiana. He's another player whose position is extremely deep for his class.

29. David Stickle, offensive lineman

Stickle did see action in seven games last season, and we could see more from him as the year goes on. However, early on, it's unlikely he'll see a lot of action on a deep offensive line.

28. Preston Daniel, tight end

Daniel has been pretty consistent during fall camp and has made some big grabs from various quarterbacks. However, in a deep tight end room, he falls toward the middle of the pack. We'll likely see him log minutes against Southern Miss, North Alabama and one or two ACC games.

27. Caziah Holmes, running back

Holmes is a big question mark. He had an unbelievable freshman season at Penn State in 2020, rushing for 227 yards and two touchdowns. However, his stats dipped his sophomore year and he eventually transferred to FSU where he worked with the scout team last fall. Will he be able to find that same freshman mojo with the Seminoles?

26. Keiondre Jones, offensive lineman

Jones was a consistent starter during his time at Auburn, starting every game during his freshman year in 2021 and appearing in every game in 2022. With a 6-foot-3-inch, 332-pound build, he will be a weapon, but where does he fit into a deep FSU offensive line?

25. Darius Washington, offensive lineman

Washington was a consistent force on the offensive line last season, appearing in 11 games, starting seven and making four of those starts at right tackle. He'll once again play a key role for the Seminoles offense this fall.

24. Tate Rodemaker, quarterback

Why is Rodemaker so low? He is the front-runner for the backup position, but considering how critical Jordan Travis is to this team, we will likely not see him a lot. Expect him to see him against Southern Mississippi, North Alabama and blowout games. The big thing will be if he can improve on his 2022 stat line: 18-31 passing, two interceptions, 2 touchdowns and 254 passing yards.

23. Alex Mastromanno, punter

Mastromanno has been clutch during his time at FSU and the Seminoles are hoping they won't need to use him too much. He punted for a total of 1422 yards, averaging 41.82 per punt and had a long of 53 yards. He'll be a steady hand that FSU can depend on.

22. Jeremiah Byers, offensive lineman

Byers was a major pickup on the offense line, transferring in from Texas El Paso. He played in 33 games during his time at UTEP, starting 30 games at right tackle. He earned All-Conference USA honors and was ranked as a 4-star transfer when he hit the portal. It'll be exciting to watch him adjust to Power 5 ball.

21. Darion Williamson, wide receiver

The junior wide receiver room is extremely deep. While Williamson didn't have bad stats last season, recording 131 yards off eight receptions over five games last season, he falls in the middle of the pack. He'll be involved, but not too heavily.

20. Markeston Douglas, tight end

Douglas is a really special athlete at his position, really showing a lot of progress during fall camp with a 6-foot-4-inch- 285-pound build at tight end. However, in this junior class, he ranks third in his position. He recorded 190 receiving yards for two touchdowns last season, and expect him to bump that stat line this year.

19. Deuce Spann, wide receiver

Spann played 12 games last season, recording 64 receiving yards off eight receptions. He's had a decent fall camp and is expected to play a much more active role this fall. With there being so many options at wide receiver, it'll be interesting to see how Spann will stand out.

18. Malcolm Ray, defensive lineman

Ray played in all 13 games last season, logging 15 tackles, two sacks, three quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. In being one of the veterans on the defensive line, a larger stat line is almost asked for by Ray considering the depth of the defense as a whole.

17. Kyle Morlock, tight end

Morlock is going to surprise a lot of people. A DII transfer, he put up big numbers during his two years at Shorter College, making 57 catches for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns in 24 games. He's adjusted extremely well to the Seminoles' offense and quickly developed a connection with Travis. Expect him to battle for that starting TE spot.

16. Kevin Knowles II, defensive back

In a deep DB room, Knowles is going to have to have a big year. Last season, he recorded 24 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups. It's a decent stat line, but he'll need a significant boost in order to stay competitive among his teammates.

15. Greedy Vance, defensive back

Another defensive back that needs a big season to get ahead is Vance. He had 16 tackles and three interceptions last fall. During fall camp, he's been one of the guys in the secondary who's been popping out a little bit more. Could be telling for the season ahead.

14. Gilber Edmond, defensive lineman

One of two big-time transfers from South Carolina, Edmond is a huge addition to the defensive line. Last season with the Gamecocks he recorded 39 tackles, nine for loss and two sacks. Expect him to have an instant impact on the line. He only adds to that depth factor already established.

13. Ja’Khi Douglas, wide receiver

If he stays healthy, we could really see Douglas climb as one of the top wide receivers. He was limited last season after suffering a shoulder injury toward the beginning of the year and only playing seven games. However, in that time he recorded 10 receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns. His impact during a full season could be huge.

12. Ryan Fitzgerald, kicker

It's likely that Fitzgerald will be the starting kicker, having the veteran edge over East Tennessee transfer Tyler Keltner. Last season he was 12-20 in field goals with a long of 47 yards and only missed one of 58 PATs. He had 4,892 kickoff yards and a 64.4-yard average. There was some hesitancy about his performance early on in the season, but expect him to have a strong year.

11. Lawrance Toafili, running back

Everyone is stepping up at running back this year and Toafili is going to slide into that No. 2 role. Last season he recorded 488 rushing yards, averaging 35.15 yards per game and five touchdowns. Trey Benson said that Toafili has stepped up as a leader in the locker room, but will he step up on the field?

10. Robert Scott, offensive lineman

Scott will obviously play a large role on the field for the offense line but may play a bigger role leadership-wise. He was a second-team All-ACC selection in started 11 games he played. He also won FSU's Don Powell Award, which is given to unsung heroes. There are some big expectations for Scott this fall.

9. Kentron Poitier, wide reciever

Poitier has a monster Spring Showcase, leaving the question of whether will he push for a starting role. While he hasn't had as explosive of a fall camp, he will still be one of the Seminoles' top wide receivers. He had 283 receiving yards, averaging 21.77 yards per game and four touchdowns. They're decent numbers that should spike this season.

8. Maurice Smith, offensive lineman

Smith as the heart of this offensive line. He started season’s final 12 games at center and was an honorable mention All-ACC selection and Phil Steele third-team All-ACC selection. The leadership between Scott and him is going to be huge and power the success of this line.

7. DJ Lundy, linebacker

The linebacker room has had all sorts of questions following multiple off-season transfers and questions of depth. Lundy needs to be one of those players that's going to silence all of that. In 13 games last season, he recorded 48 tackles and a sack. He is a key piece to making the linebacker corps work this fall.

6. Jaheim Bell, tight end

Transferring in from South Carolina, Bell is the favorite to start at tight end. He's coming off a huge year with the Gamecocks, recording 231 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, 261 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. In addition, he's won in big games as South Carolina beat No. 5 Tennessee and No. 7 Clemson last fall. He offers a ton to the Seminoles.

5. Fentrell Cypress II, defensive back

FSU was very successful in the portal and Cypress is just another example. He transferred in from Virginia as a first-team All-ACC performer by Pro Football Focus and second-team all-conference selection by the Associated Press in 2022. He recorded 57 tackles, an interception, and 14 pass breakups last season. He is going to have an impact role right off the bat in the secondary.

4. Johnny Wilson, wide receiver

The Wilson-Travis connection is alive and well from what we've seen in fall camp. The 6-foot-7-inch receiver recorded 897 receiving yards, averaging 69 yards per game and five touchdowns last season leading the Seminoles' passing offense. He truly could be one of the best receivers in the country this fall.

3. Keon Coleman, wide receiver

Coleman was FSU's biggest pickup in the portal. This was a slam dunk for the Seminoles and Coleman is going to be a monster this fall. He led Michigan State's passing offense last season with 798 receiving yards, seven touchdowns and averaged 66.5 yards per game. In addition, he's being used in the special teams unit in punt returns. With him building a connection with Travis, people should be very excited to watch Coleman.

2. Trey Benson, running back

Benson was the only player to break 1000+ rushing yards last season, posting 1,015 rushing yards, 76.15 rushing yards per game and nine touchdowns. He also played a critical role on special teams, recording 192 kickoff return yards and a touchdown, and 169 punt return yards. He plays an extremely critical role on this team and is an absolute workhorse. Expect him only to elevate his game this fall.

1. Jared Verse, defensive lineman

There is now Heisman talk surrounding Verse and notably so. In 12 games last season he recorded 47 tackles, 16.5 tackles were for a loss of 90 yards. He was an absolute force last season on defense and is going to be that again this season. He's the beating heart of a talented defensive line and powering a deep defense.

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams. 

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ranking Florida State football's junior class on potential impact