FSU Football Linebacker's Status Unclear After Injury

The Florida State Seminoles are licking their wounds after suffering their first loss of the 2026 season. Ahead of a trip to Tuscaloosa, Florida State is on a BYE week and trying to regroup.

Unfortunately, Florida State is dealing with a few injuries. Members of the two-deep, such as linebacker Blake Nichelson, safety K.J. Kirkland, wide receiver Tae'Shaun Gelsy, and wide receiver Devin Carter, weren't able to play against SMU.

Coming out of the defeat, another Seminole might be forced to the sidelines.

True Freshman LB Izayia Williams Suffers Apparent Injury

According to his Instagram, true freshman linebacker Izayia Williams has apparently undergone a procedure on his left knee. Williams shared a video with a brace on his leg. A clip from Chris Jones showed Williams propping the injured leg up on a couch with crutches nearby.

That's the same knee where Williams suffered a torn ACL last summer, which ended his senior season before it began. He was still recovering when he arrived at Florida State and missed spring practice. However, the Seminoles fully cleared Williams ahead of fall camp.

"Obviously, Izayia came in [injured]. He's fully cleared," Norvell said leading up to camp. "He definitely looks the part. I'm excited to see him out in practice. He'll be ready to go."

Freshman LB Izayia Williams shares that he underwent a procedure on his Instagram.

Williams tore his ACL ahead of his senior season at Tavares High School and missed his entire senior year.

Williams made his debut against New Mexico State in Week 0 but didn’t count any snaps… pic.twitter.com/Nlr3fkpFJK
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) September 11, 2026

During the preseason, Williams was banged up in Florida State's scrimmage. Despite that, he's been listed as Jones' primary backup for each of the first two games.

Williams came off the bench in the Seminoles' 34-17 victory over New Mexico State. He played 7 snaps on defense and 12 snaps on special teams but wasn't credited with any statistics.

On Monday night, Williams only appeared on special teams, seeing 6 snaps in the loss to SMU.

Norvell won't have an opportunity to comment on the injury until his next media availability on Monday. This is potentially a big loss for FSU.

It also raises the question of whether Williams was truly ready to return. A year removed from a major injury, should the Seminoles have pushed him as hard as they did?

Either way, this is simply unfortunate for the young man. He was on the fringe of becoming a five-star prospect last year, and now he's struggling to stay healthy.

During his junior season at Tavares High School, Williams totaled 125 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception while rushing 23 times for 423 yards and racking up 10 total touchdowns on offense.

Williams was a unique athlete on the football field and track, where he recorded personal bests such as an 11.05 100-meter and 22.96 200-meter. He was also a two-time regional qualifier in the long jump.

Florida State returns to action against Alabama on Saturday, September 19. The contest will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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