The 2015 Florida State Seminoles football team, variously Florida State or FSU, represented

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

in the sport of

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

during the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. Florida State competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA). The Seminoles were led by sixth-year head coach Jimbo Fisher and played their home games at

Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium Doak S. Campbell Stadium (in full Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium), popularly known as "Doak", is a football stadium on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. It is the home field of the Florida State Semino ...

in Tallahassee, Florida. They were members of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...

, playing in the Atlantic Division. It was the Seminoles' 24th season as a member of the ACC and its 11th in the ACC Atlantic Division. Florida State came into the season after a two-year run (

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

and

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

) in which the Seminoles won 27 games with a pair of ACC Championships, a BCS National Title, an appearance in the

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

, a

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

winner, and eighteen

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

selections. They finished the season 10–3, 6–2 in ACC play, to finish in second place in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the

Peach Bowl The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially ...

where they lost to

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

. Florida State seniors – Giorgio Newberry, Derrick Mitchell, Nile Lawrence-Stample, Reggie Northrup, Terrance Smith, Tyler Hunter, Javien Elliott, Keelin Smith, Lamarcus Brutus and Cason Beatty – ended their college careers with 49 wins over the course of four seasons, becoming the winningest class in school history.

Before the season

Previous season

Florida State ended the 2014 season with a 13–1 record (8–0 in ACC play), winning the conference championship and appearing in the playoff. They were led by Jimbo Fisher in his fifth year as head coach.

Returning

Offense

The Seminoles returned three starters on offense: * Sean Maguire *

Dalvin Cook Dalvin James Cook (born August 10, 1995) is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he finished his career as the school's all-time le ...

* Mario Pender *

Travis Rudolph Travis Deonte James Rudolph (born September 15, 1995) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State, and has previously played for the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins of the Nation ...

* Ermon Lane * Roderick Johnson * Ryan Hoefield *

Freddie Stevenson Freddie Stevenson (born 9 March 1980 in Hereford, England) is a Scottish singer-songwriter from Edinburgh. Biography Early life Stevenson is the eldest of three children born to Scottish artist and potter Charles Stevenson and children' ...

Kermit Whitfield Levonte "Kermit" Whitfield (born October 8, 1993) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist who is a free agent. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. College career As a freshman in 2013, he led all ...

* Jesus Wilson

Defense

The Seminoles returned seven starters on defense: * Nile Lawrence-Stample *

Jalen Ramsey Jalen Lattrel Ramsey (born October 24, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars fifth ov ...

* Lorenzo Featherston * DeMarcus Walker * Matthew Thomas * Jacob Pugh * Nate Andrews * Trey Marshall * Derrick Mitchell * Reggie Northrup * Terrance Smith * Tyler Hunter * Chris Casher * Derrick Nnadi *

Marquez White Marquez White (born October 29, 1994) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Orlando Apollos in the Alliance of American Football and XFL in the St. L ...

* Lamarcus Brutus

Special teams

The Seminoles returned two starters on special teams: * Roberto Aguayo * Cason Beatty

Departures

Offense

Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the H ...

Rashad Greene Rashad Greene Sr. (born September 23, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida State Seminoles football, Florida State, and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2015 NF ...

Nick O'Leary Nicklaus O'Leary (born August 31, 1992) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Early life O'Leary is one of five childre ...

Karlos Williams Karlos Jermell Williams Sr. (born May 4, 1993) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Early years Williams attended ...

* Christian Green * Josue Matias * Cameron Erving * Tre' Jackson * Bobby Hart * Austin Barron

Defense

* Desmond Hollin *

P. J. Williams Kenneth Lamar "P. J." Williams (born June 1, 1993) is an American football free safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State. He was the Defensive MVP of the 2014 BCS Nation ...

* Mario Edwards Jr. *

Ronald Darby Ronald Darby (born January 2, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2015 ...

Eddie Goldman Eddie Goldman (born January 6, 1994) is an American football nose tackle for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2 ...

Transfers

Everett Golson Everett Demone Golson (born January 2, 1993) is a former American football quarterback. He previously played quarterback for Notre Dame from 2011 to the spring of 2015. Golson chose to transfer to Florida State after graduating from Notre Dame ...

(from Notre Dame)

Offense

*Ruben Carter (to Toledo) * John Franklin III (to East Mississippi CC/Auburn) *Isaiah Jones (to East Mississippi CC)

Defense

* E.J. Levenberry (to Connecticut)

Recruiting class

Calvin Brewton, George Campbell, Derwin James, De'Andre Johnson, Jacques Patrick, Da'Vante Phillips and Josh Sweat were early enrollees.

Coaching changes

After the 2014 season, defensive ends coach

Sal Sunseri Sal Sunseri (born August 1, 1959) is an American college and professional football coach who currently serves as the defensive tackles coach for the University of Colorado of the Pac-12 Conference. Sunseri played college football for the Univer ...

took a job with the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

. He was replaced by

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

assistant Brad Lawing.

Spring game

Personnel

Coaching staff

Roster

Freshman quarterback De'Andre Johnson was dismissed from the team after being charged with a misdemeanor.

Depth chart

(Depth Chart Notations: Name, Year at FSU/total years of eligibility, Games started in 2014)

Media

Florida State football is broadcast on the Florida State University Seminoles Radio Network and the games are called by

Gene Deckerhoff Emerson Eugene Deckerhoff, Jr. (born May 2, 1945) is the radio play-by-play announcer of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a post he has held since 1989. He also served as the longtime voice of the Florida State Seminoles, calling games for the ...

Statistics

Scores by quarter (all opponents)

Scores by quarter (ACC opponents)

Rankings

Season

Florida State was picked to finish second in the ACC Atlantic. Roberto Aguayo, Roderick Johnson, Jalen Ramsey, and Terrance Smith were named to the preseason All-ACC team.

Schedule

Game summaries

Texas State

South Florida

Boston College

Wake Forest

Miami (FL)

Louisville

Georgia Tech

Syracuse

Clemson

NC State

Chattanooga

Florida

Peach Bowl: Houston

Awards

* Jacobs Blocking Trophy :: Roderick Johnson *

Jim Brown Award The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More t ...

Watchlists

''Players'' * Johnny Unitas Award ::

* Lott Trophy ::

* Maxwell Award ::

::Everett Golson * Bednarik Award ::Jalen Ramsey :: Terrance Smith * Lou Groza Award :: Roberto Aguayo * Outland Trophy :: Roderick Johnson *

Nagurski Award The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to be the best in the National Collegiate Athl ...

::Jalen Ramsey ::Terrance Smith * Jim Thorpe Award ::Jalen Ramsey * Lombardi Award ::Reggie Northrup ::Terrance Smith ::Roderick Johnson * Butkus Award ::Reggie Northrup ::Terrance Smith * Walter Camp Award ::Everett Golson * Wuerffel Trophy ::Roberto Aguayo * Doak Walker Award ::Dalvin Cook *

Ray Guy Award The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro All-Pro is an ho ...

::Cason Beatty ''Coaches'' * Dodd Trophy :: Jimbo Fisher *

Bear Bryant Award Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the North ...

::Jimbo Fisher ;Pre-season All-Americans *Roberto Aguayo (''Lindy's'', ''Athlon'', ''Phil Steele'', ''Sporting News'', ''CBS Sports'', ''ESPN'', ''Sports Illustrated'') *Jalen Ramsey (''Lindy's'', ''Athlon'', ''Phil Steele'', ''Sporting News'', ''Sports Illustrated'') *Dalvin Cook (''Athlon'') *Terrance Smith (''Phil Steele'')

Finalists

''Players'' *

Burlsworth Trophy The Burlsworth Trophy is an award given annually to the most outstanding FBS college football player who began his career as a walk-on. It was first awarded for the 2010 season and is a program of the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation. Burlsworth w ...

::Javien Elliott ''Coaches'' * Broyles Award :: Charles Kelly ;Quarterfinalists * Wuerffel Trophy ::Cason Beatty * Lott Trophy ::

;Semifinalists * Jim Thorpe Award ::Jalen Ramsey * Maxwell Award ::

* Bednarik Award ::Jalen Ramsey * Lou Groza Award :: Roberto Aguayo * Lott Trophy ::Jalen Ramsey * Doak Walker Award ::Dalvin Cook * Walter Camp Award ::Dalvin Cook

Honors

*ACC Player of the Week **

(offensive back) **

(offensive back) ** Roderick Johnson (offensive lineman) **

(defensive back) ** Roberto Aguayo (Specialist) ** Terrance Smith (Linebacker) ** Trey Marshall (defensive back) ** DeMarcus Walker (defensive lineman) **

(Receiver) **Jacob Pugh (Linebacker) **

(Receiver) ** Jacques Patrick (rookie) **

Derwin James Derwin Alonzo James Jr. (born August 3, 1996) is an American football strong safety for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State. He was drafted by the Chargers in the first r ...

(defensive back) **DeMarcus Walker (defensive lineman) In addition to conference honors, Dalvin Cook has been recognized by the Walter Camp Foundation and the Football Writers Association.

All-ACC

All-Americans

Jalen Ramsey was named a consensus All-American.

All-Star games

NFL draft

The following players were selected in the

2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft ...

: The following players signed as undrafted free agents: Everett Golson joined the practice squad of the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fie ...

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...

References

Bibliography

2015 Florida State Seminoles Football Media Guide

External links

Season statistics
{{Florida State Seminoles football navbox

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...

Florida State Seminoles football seasons

Florida State Seminoles football The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the sport of American football. The Florida State Seminoles, Seminoles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...