Starting Right Tackle Among Four Ruled OUT For FSU Football On Labor Day

The Seminoles will be missing at least four players against Boston College.

Florida State Seminoles offensive lineman Jeremiah Byers (63) celebrates a first down. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Miami Hurricanes 27-20 on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. / Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Florida State Seminoles are gearing up for a pivotal ACC matchup against Boston College on Labor Day. Head coach Mike Norvell and his team will open up the home slate in Tallahassee shorthanded in their quest to prevent an 0-2 start.

According to a Florida State spokesperson, at least four players won't be available when the contest against the Eagles kicks off. Redshirt senior offensive tackle Jeremiah Byers, redshirt sophomore linebacker Omar Graham Jr., redshirt sophomore linebacker Shawn Murphy, and sophomore wide receiver Hykeem Williams have all been ruled OUT due to various ailments.

The biggest blow to the Seminoles is the loss of Byers, who was listed as the solo starter at right tackle on the depth chart that was released earlier this week. Byers struggled at times in the opening week loss to Georgia Tech but earned significantly more playing time than redshirt senior Robert Scott, the backup at the position.

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Scott has dealt with injuries of his own over the last two years and missed the entirety of spring practice. Redshirt sophomore Jaylen Early and redshirt freshman Lucas Simmons are names to know if Scott ends up hindered at any point.

Graham Jr. started opposite redshirt senior DJ Lundy last week and didn't record any statistics in the defeat. After netting the second-most snaps among the linebacker unit, Graham Jr. is unavailable which means senior Cam Riley, sophomore Blake Nichelson, and sophomore Justin Cryer should see more playing against Boston College.

Nichelson was one of the more promising defenders in a game to forget while Cryer didn't earn a defensive snap despite a solid preseason. Riley totaled seven tackles in his debut with the Seminoles.

Williams and Murphy both missed the contest last week and were two players that Norvell identitifed as limited earlier this week. There was hope that Williams could return as soon as tonight but it appears that the team will hold him out until after the BYE week. Murphy seems to have a little longer to go in his recovery based on Norvell's comments.

Without Williams, redshirt senior Ja'Khi Douglas, senior Malik Benson, redshirt freshman Jalen Brown, redshirt senior Kentron Poitier, and redshirt senior Darion William were the only wide receivers to play in Week 0. It'll be interesting to see if Norvell opens things up to include redshirt Deuce Spann, true freshman Lawayne McCoy, and true freshman Elijah Moore on Monday night.

Florida State and Boston College are scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Monday, September 2. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN.

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READ MORE: Mike Norvell Provides Injury Updates On A Pair Of Florida State Seminoles

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