Coach : Bobby Bowden | Staff In 2006 : 7 - 6 , 3 - 5 ACC ; Beat UCLA 44 - 27 in Emerald Bowl . Returning starters : Offense : 6 . Defense : 8 . Key losses : RB Lorenzo Booker , WR Chris Davis , TE Brandon Warren , OT Mario Henderson , LB Lawrence Timmons , LB Buster Davis . 2007 breakdown : Top 10 players | Outlook | Offense | Defense | Special teams | Coaching | Schedule Breaking down the offense Overview : Florida State is banking on coaching staff changes to revive an offense that has underachieved since the departure of Mark Richt . The Seminoles ranked last in the ACC in rushing and 70 th in the country in yards per game . Their struggles were underscored when they were shut out at home by Wake Forest . The problems have been many : quarterbacks Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee have failed to impress , the offensive line has struggled and the running game can ' t seem to get going despite having ample talent . New coordinator Jimbo Fisher and the overhauled staff will try to turn things around this season . FLORIDA STATE TOP 10 Andre Fluellen anchors the Florida State defense . 1 . DT Andre Fluellen 2 . CB Tony Carter 3 . RB Antone Smith 4 . WR De ' Cody Fagg 5 . WR Greg Carr 6 . S Myron Rolle 7 . LB Geno Hayes 8 . DT Paul Griffin 9 . DE Everette Brown 10 . QB Drew Weatherford Best player : RB Antone Smith . The former five - star recruit played behind Lorenzo Booker last year , but this year should be his time to shine . He averaged 5 . 2 yards per carry last year while rushing for 456 yards and five touchdowns . Smith should be a major beneficiary of improved line play , and he should showcase his speed and pass - catching ability . Most overrated : WR Greg Carr . At 6 - foot - 6 and 212 pounds , Carr has the physical tools to be a superstar . Despite his 21 touchdowns in two seasons , Carr can frustrate coaches with his inconsistent effort . There ' s no telling how good he could be if he plays to his potential . Most underrated : WR De ' Cody Fagg . Fagg has struggled with injuries for much of his career , missing two games last year with an injury . He still caught a career - high 37 passes with 439 yards . Must step up : C John Frady . Frady has started 21 games in his career - including 13 last season - but the senior is starting to feel the pressure to produce . He was benched at times during spring practice . New line coach Rick Trickett could work wonders at this position . He coached last year ' s Rimington Award winner , Dan Mozes at West Virginia . If Frady can ' t do the job , Trickett will find someone who can . Shoes to fill : OT Mario Henderson . Florida State ' s line struggled mightily last year , but Henderson still came out of it as a first - day NFL Draft pick . There will be some youth at his spot at left tackle , with sophomore Daron Rose poised to take over starting duties . Impact newcomer : TE Jonathan Hannah . The departure of Rivals . com second - team Freshman All - American tight end Brandon Warren and the move of Caz Piurowski to tackle means the junior college transfer Hannah should earn immediate playing time . Battle to watch : Quarterback . The competition between Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee will continue into the fall . Weatherford struggled in his second season as a starter . Lee filled in for Weatherford in three starts with mixed results . Weatherford brings more experience , but Lee brings more explosiveness ? and more turnovers . New in 2007 : What ' s not new ? Florida State is hoping all the new faces resurrect this dormant offense . Fisher is an upgrade over Jeff Bowden , who received much of the blame for Florida State ' s recent demise . Just as important to the offense will be Trickett , whose offensive lines at West Virginia were among the country ' s best . Receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey and running backs coach Dexter Carter have also joined the staff . Grade the units : QB : C - plus . Weatherford regressed after being a Rivals . com freshman All - American in 2005 . Lee has struggled in limited duty . Fisher should have an impact on both . RB : B . Florida State has split carries in recent years , but this year will be the Antone Smith show . WR / TE : B . Carr and Fagg are a strong starting tandem . Improvement from the quarterbacks and line will only help . OL : C - minus . New line coach Rick Trickett his work cut out for him . FSU ' s offensive line performance last year was one of the worst in recent memory . Breaking down the defense Overview : Florida State ' s defense was expected to have some growing pains after losing four players to the first round of the 2005 draft . The struggles were magnified because of some key injuries . Still , the Seminoles put together a respectable year on defense . The young players gained experience and should be poised to improve this season . FSU ranked in the bottom half of the ACC in points per game , pass defense and sacks , but finished 18 th in the nation in yards per game . Though this side of the ball did not have as much upheaval as the offense , there was one big addition with the return of Chuck Amato as linebackers coach . Best player : DT Andre Fluellen . The 6 - foot - 4 , 285 - pound Fluellen is a likely first - day draft pick when his FSU career is over . He started all 13 games last year at both tackle and nose guard when starter Paul Griffin was knocked out for the year in the second game of the season . Florida State ScheduleDateOpponentSept . 3 at ClemsonSept . 8 UABSept . 15 at ColoradoSept . 29 vs . AlabamaOct . 6 N . C . StateOct . 11 at Wake ForestOct . 20 MiamiOct . 27 DukeNov . 3 at Boston CollegeNov . 10 at Virginia TechNov . 17 MarylandNov . 24 at FloridaMost overrated : S Roger Williams . The senior will begin his third year as a starter in 2007 , but that ' s not necessarily a good thing for Florida State . Williams was fourth on the team in tackles and led the team with four interceptions . However , he struggled in pass coverage and was often on the wrong end of big plays . Most underrated : CB Tony Carter . Carter flew under the radar last year in the ACC , missing out on the all - conference team . He shouldn ' t be omitted this year . Carter had two interceptions last year and became one of the top lockdown corners in the conference . on top of that , he was a standout special teams player . He returned a blocked PAT and field goal in the same game against Clemson . Must step up : NG Paul Griffin . The arrival of Griffin as Florida State ' s next great defensive lineman had to wait for a year . Griffin , a four - star junior college transfer , was knocked out for the season after sustaining a torn ACL in the second game of the season last year . After missing spring practice , Griffin is expected to return for fall drills . If he is healthy , he and Fluellen should be one of the country ' s best tackle tandems . Shoes to fill : LB Buster Davis and Lawrence Timmons . Chuck Amato has to find two key replacements in his first year back in Tallahassee . Timmons was a first - round draft pick , and Davis had 260 tackles over the last three seasons . Derek Nicholson ( in the middle ) and Marcus Ball ( on the strongside ) , both Rivals 100 members out of high school , are poised to take over these spots after both missed most of last year because of injuries . Impact newcomer : DE Brian Coulter . Florida State struggled to find a pass rush last year , which put extra pressure on the secondary . Coulter , a transfer from junior college , could provide instant help in that area . Position battle : Defensive end . This is an area where Florida State needs an instant upgrade . No defensive end had more than three sacks last year , and the Seminoles ranked ninth in the ACC in sacks per game . Sophomore Everette Brown is a good bet to take one spot , but four rotated during the spring without anyone getting an advantage . Starter Alex Boston returns , JUCO transfer Coulter is in the mix as are Neefy Moffett and Kevin McNeil . New in 2007 : Kevin Steele may have been the only assistant coach Florida State fans were sad to see leave . Chuck Amato , fired at N . C . State , has returned to FSU . Amato , who coached at Florida State from 1982 - 99 , will be reunited with Bobby Bowden and coordinator Mickey Andrews after seven seasons with the Wolfpack . Grade the units : DL : B - plus . The Seminoles have uncertainty at defensive end , but a healthy Griffin could make the defensive tackles among the best in the country . LB : B . Geno Hayes , the only returning starter , is one of the ACC ' s underrated linebackers . FSU will look to reload with the highly touted duo of Ball and Nicholson . DB : B - plus . An improved pass rush should boost the secondary , which returns all four starters . Carter is an excellent corner , while rover Myron Rolle is a rising star . Breaking down the special teams Overview : The Florida State special teams were average last year , but at least Seminoles fans can take solace in that they didn ' t lose to Miami on a kick . In fact , Gary Cismesia ' s 33 - yard field goal was the difference in a 13 - 10 win . Beyond that , special teams weren ' t very special . The kickoff return team was last in the ACC , and the punt return team was middle of the pack . Both coverage teams allowed more yards than the return teams gained . Season outlook with bowl forecast After three seasons with single - digit wins , Florida State is hungry to return to the nation ' s elite ? or the ACC elite for that matter . A major part of Florida State ' s season will depend on the new staff getting the offense to play to its potential . The schedule is daunting with only five home games . Road trips to Clemson , Wake Forest , Boston College , Virginia Tech and Florida - along with a non - conference game against Alabama - are very challenging . The Seminoles should improve over last year ' s 7 - 6 record and contend for the ACC Championship Game . A return to a BCS bowl might be aiming a little high , but the Chick - fil - A Bowl ( for second place in the ACC this year ) is a reasonable goal . Best player : KR Michael Ray Garvin . Garvin , a sprinter , gave the special teams a boost when he became the team ' s primary kickoff returner at the end of last season . In the final four games , he averaged 23 . 6 yards per return . Grade the units : K : B - minus . The senior Cismesia made 14 of 20 field - goal attempts , but was only three of eight from outside of 40 yards . P : B . Graham Gano averaged 40 . 7 yards per punt last year . KR : B - minus . The unit improved when Michael Ray Garvin took over , but it still ranked last in the ACC in yards per return . PR : Incomplete . Florida State ' s primary punt returner , Chris Davis , is gone . Carter is the next option , but FSU might take steps to protect their star corner . Breaking down the coachingOverview : For the first time in a long time , Bobby Bowden will be working with five new assistant coaches . The biggest changes are on the offensive side , where each coach but tight ends coach John Lilly was replaced . New coordinator Jimbo Fisher ( from LSU ) and line coach Rick Trickett ( West Virginia ) come with impressive resumes and should pay immediate dividends . Running backs coach Dexter Carter and wide receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey are not quite as seasoned . Kevin Steele ( to Alabama ) was a big loss , but Bowden turned to former longtime assistant Chuck Amato to handle linebackers . The turnover should give a stagnant program a much - needed boost . Grade the coaches : Head coach : B . Bobby Bowden holds the record for Division I - A wins with 366 , but he ' s delegating to his assistants a little more as the years go on . He ' s more of a recruiter and CEO at this stage of his career . Offense : B - plus . The staff has been gutted , but it should be for the better . Jimbo Fisher tutored top pick JaMarcus Russell at LSU , while Rick Trickett ' s O - line was one of West Virginia ' s many strengths in the last two seasons . Defense : B . Despite injuries and turnover , Mickey Andrews ' unit put together a respectable season . With more health and experience this year , it should improve . Special teams : C . Special teams were average last year , something that shouldn ' t happen at Florida State . David Fox is a national writer for Rivals . com . He can be reached at dfox @ rivals . com . Rivals . com is counting down our Preseason Top 50 .