38 Reasons to Cheer: Janikowski’s Number Retired
Florida State will retire kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s No. 38 jersey during the season opener versus New Mexico State on August 29. Janikowski, a two-time Lou Groza Award winner and member of FSU’s Athletics Hall of Fame, is the 13th Seminole to receive this honor. During his time in Tallahassee (1996–1999), he went 66-for-83 on field goals, never missed an extra point, and powered FSU to a perfect 12-0 campaign and a national title. Selected 17th overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2000 NFL Draft—the last kicker taken in Round 1—he went on to become the Raiders’ all-time scoring leader with 1,913 points, plus an NFL-tying 63-yard field goal in 2011, before wrapping up a 19-year pro career in Seattle.
In a move guaranteed to make every aspiring kicker feel like royalty, FSU has bestowed its highest accolade on a man who spent his college afternoons hoofing balls through uprights. Soon, students will be petitioning to name an academic building after him—perhaps the “School of High-Velocity Leg Mechanics”? Alumni are already drafting chants: “Janiko, Janiko, leg so loco!” Meanwhile, the football team is considering donning golden cleats in his honor and practicing celebratory cartwheels after every extra point. One can only assume the next retired jersey will belong to the waterboys—after all, hydration is life.
Norvell’s Gladiator Pit: O-Line vs. Secondary
After two scrimmages and the start of “move week,” Coach Mike Norvell pinpointed Florida State’s offensive line and secondary as the camps’ fiercest competitions. The offensive front remains unsettled, with at least eight or nine candidates vying for five starting spots, while the cornerback room features standouts Quindarrius Jones, Charles Lester III, Ja’Bril Rawls, Nehemiah Chandler, Ricky Knight and others. Norvell also praised the linebacker depth—led by Chris Jones, Omar Graham Jr. and Mikai Gbayor—which could influence tailored defensive packages early in the season.
Clearly, Norvell has mistaken fall camp for Gladiator school: tomorrow’s starters will be chosen from the ashes of scrimmage helmets. Rumor has it he’s installed a virtual-reality Coliseum where linemen slip on VR headsets to battle pixelated pass rushers, while cornerbacks practice swatting away holographic wide receivers reading from the Pop Warner playbook. Meanwhile, local sports bars have started charging admission to “Crate-Up” nights—where fans guess which o-lineman flunks pancake blocks and who will catch the next interception. May the best blocker—or blocker-turned-interceptor—win glory and a spot on the bench.
Scheier’s Return Gamble: Seminoles Set to Soar
New special teams coordinator Adam Scheier is brimming with confidence about FSU’s return units as fall camp wraps up. He praised a deep roster that includes punt-return hopefuls Duce Robinson, Jasen Lopez, Jayvan Boggs, Devin Carter, Gemari Sands and Ja’Bril Rawls, plus kickoff threats Micahi Danzy and Sam Singleton Jr. Singleton brings 940 career all-purpose yards and Freshman All-America honors, while Danzy led the nation with six “50-yard plays” last year. Scheier insists possession remains paramount before chasing home-run returns.
Scheier’s pep talk must have involved magic eight balls and crystal footballs, because he’s now certain FSU’s return teams will resemble The Avengers—when they’re not fumbling. Expect Robinson and Lopez to don capes before punts, while Danzy and Singleton strap on jet engines for kickoff duty. Campus rumor: they’re installing a velvet rope around special-teams drills so mere mortals won’t distract the upcoming punt maestros. It’s only a matter of time before opposing coaches hire fortune-tellers to predict which Seminole will break free next.
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