​As the Florida State contingent heads to Charlotte, North Carolina for the ACC Kickoff media event on Wednesday, the group is preparing for their 15 minutes of fame.They are getting their mind right, preparing to trudge through the “car wash” and battle the media onslaught of interviews and questions, both on radio row and coach Mike Norvell’s appearance at the podium. Norvell is bringing with him a trio of his players: Quarterback Ashton Daniels, receiver Duce Robinson and defensive back Ja’Bril Rawls.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRawls is back for his fourth campaign with the Seminoles, but has failed to play a full slate of games during his time in Tallahassee. He has missed 15 games over the past three seasons. So, it is imperative that Rawls stays on the field, stays healthy and does his job to help lead the Seminoles to victory. Rawls will be looked upon as a leader in the Seminoles defensive secondary.Last season, Rawls posted 40 tackles, intercepted one pass, recovered a fumble, collected two tackles for loss and broke up two passes. The talented defender is highly regarded, as evidenced by Phil Steele naming Rawls to his second-team preseason All-ACC team.Against Virginia in 2025, Rawls displayed his defensive skills by posting 11 total tackles and an interception (one of three passing takeaways) in a losing effort.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhat kind of questions might Rawls be asked as he navigates his way through the media scrums in Charlotte? Here’s one.Ja’bril, how can you and the Seminoles secondary get better at challenging receivers and cause disruption in the opponent’s passing game?Rawls will lead a unit that will look to improve on their No. 28 FBS ranking in pass defense (190 yards/game) from last season, and their 12 interceptions.But what is a glaring concern is the number of pass breakups turned in by the Seminoles last season. As a unit, Florida State collected just 24 pass breakups during the 2025 season against 36 passes defended. That was bad enough for No. 133 in the FBS. By comparison, ACC foes SMU, Clemson and Virginia were ranked in the top ten in that category.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFlorida State will be counting on Rawls to make plays and be a disruptive force on the field. With the talent that the Seminoles have on defense, Rawls should be fired up and ready to storm out of the tunnel, as Chief Osceola plants the spear to signal that a new season of college football has dawned in Tallahassee.Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It’s free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!