Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson impresses in first half
Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson has impressed early in his season debut with two first half sacks against Notre Dame. The Georgia transfer is a former high school standout who was the consensus top-ranked junior college after 20 games at Independence C.C. to start his career.
Johnson finished the first half with seven tackles and three tackles for loss, along with the two sacks he recorded. The Florida State defense held Notre Dame to 17 points in the first half.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler believes Jermaine Johnson is one of the top NFL Draft prospects in the ACC and lists him as a top five senior defensive end.
“Getting a chance to show it tonight,” Brugler posted. “Big season coming from him.”
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Jermaine Johnson played in 21 games with four starts in two seasons at Georgia. He had 36 tackles, eight tackles for loss with eight sacks. The 6-foot-5, 262-pound edge rusher added 24 quarterback pressures, one forced fumble and two pass breakups in the SEC.
Last season, the Florida State defense was disappointing. The unit finished last in the ACC in sacks, and near the bottom in total defense as well. The Seminoles allowed 36 points per game.
Head coach Mike Norvell saw improvement on the horizon this preseason, citing the defensive line as a catalyst for change.
“You look at the defensive end position and really across the defensive line, I think some of the guys that have come in, have come in with the right mindset, attitude,” Norvell said previously. “I feel good about the potential of that group. It’s just the consistency of what we’re doing, but I really like that.”
Florida State contending with Notre Dame in the first half is a small step forward but a welcome sight. Norvell continues to work toward bringing Florida State back to the upper tier of college football.