​Florida State athlete Jasen Lopez is beginning to get
the attention of coach Mike Norvell and his staff as the Seminoles completed
another day of fall camp on Friday. Lopez made three big plays in the day’s practice
session, including a nice catch tip-toeing the sideline that prompted Norvell
to sing Lopez’s praises. Lopez figures to be in the receiver rotation for
Florida State this season, as well as potentially seeing action as a punt
returner. A two-sport star for the Seminoles, Lopez also plays basketball at Florida
State and missed a lot of the spring practice sessions, which slowed his growth
as a football player.As a former 4-star receiver, Lopez was the No. 29 high
school receiver nationally, according to 247 Sports. Lopez was a four-year
starter and gained over 5,200 receiving yards and 59 touchdowns, on 313
catches. He posted four consecutive seasons with 1,000+ yards and at least 10
touchdowns. Lopez chose the Seminoles over Miami, the Florida Gators and Ohio
State.Lopez is part of a position group that includes fellow
2-sport star Micahi Danzy (Florida State track and Field), who also missed some
reps in the spring. Add All-ACC receiver Duce Robinson, Jayvan Boggs and Devin Carter,
and this group is the most talented on the team and will be weaponized against
the gridiron adversaries on this season’s schedule. Lopez and company will have their work cut out for them
against the No. 27 toughest schedule in the country, according to college
football analyst Phil Steele. While that ranking may not instill fear among the
Seminole faithful, this season’s schedule might as well be a murder’s row of
opponents, a group that includes eight teams with winning records from last
season and combined to win 89 games.This season starts off easy enough against New Mexico
State on August 29, but then gets exponentially harder within the following
three weeks. Florida State battles SMU in Week 2, with the Mustangs widely
considered to be the second-best team in the ACC, behind Miami. Then the
Seminoles get a strategically placed bye week in Week 3 before traveling to
Tuscaloosa to battle the Alabama Crimson Tide, all before the calendar changes
to October. Add road games at Louisville and Miami in back-to-back weeks, and
the Seminoles have a challenging schedule indeed. Lopez is a talented receiver who will make the most of
his opportunities when he takes the field and is more than capable to make the
kind of plays that moves the chains and extends drives. That is exactly what is
needed if the Seminoles are to get back to playing winning football, which is
the legacy and tradition of Florida State.