Who are the Top-10 returning players for FSU football?
Florida State will head into spring practice with most of its starters remaining from the 2016 season.
The Seminoles will return 15 of 22 starters on offense and defense from last season, which doesn't include safety Derwin James, who missed the final 11 games of the season with a knee injury.
Last week, ESPN released its list of the Top-25 returning ACC players with seven Florida State players on the list.
James came in at No. 3, Tarvarus McFadden at No. 6, Brian Burns at No. 9, Josh Sweat at No. 12, Deondre Francois at No. 13, Derrick Nnadi at No. 21, and Nyqwan Murray at No. 25.
Some of those players are too low, and some are too high. Here are the Top-10 returning players for the Seminoles next season.
1. Safety Derwin James
This will likely be James final season in a FSU uniform, and you can bet he's going to make it count.
He is an extremely versatile player that can play at all three levels of the Seminoles defense. As a freshman, he was second on the team in tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks.
He is already recovered from his injury, and will be available to participate in the spring.
2. Defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi
Nnadi is the most underrated player on FSU's roster.
He played through an ankle injury during the first five games of the season that limited him greatly, but once he got back healthy, he was the best player on the FSU defense.
Nnadi was always a force against the run, but his improved pass rushing ability has him near the top of this list. He finished the season with 53 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks.
He is returning for his senior year, and should finally receive the recognition that he deserves.
3. Cornerback Tarvarus McFadden
Early in the 2016 season McFadden was either boom or bust.
He had a lot of interceptions, but also gave up a lot of big plays. About half way through the season he left the bust behind and just brought the boom.
McFadden finished the year tied for the national lead in interceptions with eight and pass break-ups with six.
A full year without the bust will make him one of the top candidates for the Thorpe Award heading into the season.
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4. Defensive end Josh Sweat
Another guy who had a poor first five games, whether it was because of a minor knee injury or because he was loafing, but really turned it on in the second half of the season.
Sweat put forth the effort, and it showed up on the stat sheet. He has been really good against the run since he set foot on campus.
The last half of the season he turned into a really good pass rusher. He finished the season with 41 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and seven sacks.
Another year to work with defensive ends coach Brad Lawing will make him even more formidable heading into the 2017 season.
5. Wide receiver Nyqwan Murray
Murray burst onto the scene against Clemson in the eighth game of the season, and never looked back.
He led the Seminoles in receiving from that point on, and had two touchdowns over All-American Jourdan Lewis in the bowl game against Michigan including the game winner.
He is the top returning receiver for the Seminoles, and will be one of the top targets for FSU for the 2017 season.
6. Quarterback Deondre Francois
Francois is coming off his first year as a starter, and there's a lot to be excited about with his performance.
He turned in one of the best season performances by a quarterback in FSU history, and was second only to Jameis Winston in yards by a freshman quarterback at FSU.
Francois proved that he was tough as nails during the season after getting up from bone jarring hit after bone jarring hit. He also showed that he can use his legs as a weapon.
With another offseason to gel with the FSU wide receivers and develop, he could take a big step forward in 2017.
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7. Defensive end Brian Burns
Burns came to FSU as a pass rushing specialist, and showed his ability to get to the quarterback quite well.
Burns finished the season with 24 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks. He was second on the team in sacks behind DeMarcus Walker.
He will need to add some weight if he wants to be an every down player for the Seminoles next season, which is the only thing keeping him out of the Top-5, but his impact as a pass rusher warrants his Top-10 status.
Expect a full year in FSU's strength and conditioning program to go a long way towards his development.
8. Linebacker Matthew Thomas
FSU fans had been waiting for years to finally see Thomas play like the five star linebacker he was coming out of high school.
He did so over the final few games of the 2016 season including a 15 tackle, 3.5 tackle for loss performance in the Orange Bowl against Michigan. He finished the season with 77 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and two pass break-ups.
His play got better every time he saw the field, and his experience in 2016 will go a long way towards helping him in 2017.
9. Wide receiver Auden Tate
Tate showed the ability to make the big play for FSU last year, and became one of the top targets for quarterback Deondre Francois.
He recorded 25 receptions for 409 yards and was second on the team with six receiving touchdowns. He led all receivers in yards per reception with 16.36, and was a big time target in the red zone.
He will play more of a role in 2017 with five receivers from the start of the 2016 season either graduating, leaving early, or moving to defense.
10. Defensive back Trey Marshall
Marshall's versatility to play either safety or star has him in the Top-10.
He played quite well over the second half of the season, and when he went out, either by ejection or injury, FSU's defense fell off heavily. He finished third on the team in tackles with 58, and also had four pass break-ups and two tackles for loss.
He will miss the first half of the Alabama game to open up the season after his second half ejection against Michigan, but will play a key role for the FSU defense in 2017.
Just Missed
Also considered for the Top-10 were linebacker Jacob Pugh, offensive guard Landon Dickerson, tight end Ryan Izzo, cornerback Levonta Taylor, and defensive back Kyle Meyers.