Florida State lands experienced grad-transfer offensive lineman
It's been clear since the spring that one area of the team that Florida State needed to strengthen prior to the 2022 season was its offensive line. Over the past few weeks, the Seminoles have evaluated multiple transfers, even hosting Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims before he chose to return to the Bulldogs.
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On Monday, Florida State added talent upfront via graduate transfer D'Mitri Emmanuel. After contributing at Charlotte since 2017, Emmanuel entered the portal earlier this month to look for a new home. Despite receiving offers from Boston College and Miami, he chose to reunite with offensive coordinator Alex Atkins in Tallahassee.
Prior to his time at Florida State, Atkins spent a year at Charlotte in 2019 as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, the same role he serves in with the Seminoles. During that period, Atkins and Emmanuel crossed paths. The 6-foot-2, 306-pound offensive lineman went from a two-year reserve to a full-time starter that garnered snaps at left tackle and right guard. In total, he started the final 25 games with the 49ers that he appeared in.
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The North Carolina native presents the versatility to contribute inside and outside at Florida State. While he may be better suited to lock down a guard spot, he also has the skillset to earn reps at right tackle.
The left side of the Seminoles' offensive line is fairly locked down with veteran Dillan Gibbons. However, if Emmanuel were to be a reliable right guard, it would let Atkins decide on two of Robert Scott, Darius Washington, and Bless Harris to man the tackle spots.
Florida State feels comfortable about Gibbons, Scott, Washington, Harris, Maurice Smith, and Kayden Lyles. Adding Emmanuel to that group provides another piece in the event of injuries throughout the season. If one of Bryson Estes, Lloyd Willis, or Rod Orr can turn into a contributor, the depth goes from shaky to solid.
With his addition, NoleGameday projects that Florida State has four scholarships remaining on its roster prior to the fall. A plus about Emmanuel is he'll only be on the docket for one year, so his scholarship doesn't affect the numbers when it comes to the 2023 class. The Seminoles are still keying in on multiple Junior College prospects, with a few scheduled to visit in June.
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