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FSU football putting major trust in Tomiwa Durojaiye, playing both positions on defensive line
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- FSU football putting major trust in Tomiwa Durojaiye, playing both positions on defensive line
Florida State football was busy in the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, and it is seeing that strategy once again pay off this spring.
One of its biggest acquisitions has been West Virginia transfer Tomiwa Durojaiye.
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The 6-foot-4 inch, 280-pound redshirt sophomore dominated last season, recording 23 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 13 games.
Upon transferring to FSU, the Seminoles ' defensive staff has not only given him a place on the interior defensive line but has given him the responsibility of playing at defensive end as well.
It's a challenge that sits on Durojaiye's shoulders alone.
"It's all football and it's all the same, even in the same sense of blocks, but it's been a little bit more challenging in the classroom," Durojaiye said. "On the field, it's all the same stuff. You just need to know your assignment."
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Big responsibility for the newcomer
Florida State football players Lamont Green Jr. (45) and Tomiwa Durojaiye (19) take part in the final Tour of Duty winter workouts ahead of 2024 spring practices on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
While it's been a big responsibility for Durojaiye, especially as a newcomer, it shows the level of responsibility defensive ends coach John Papuchins, defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller have instilled in him.
After Jared Verse made a name for himself at the defensive end position, and Patrick Payton followed a similar path, the edges have become one of the more elite positions at FSU in the last few years.
"It means a lot," Durojaiye said about the trust that the coaching staff has in him. "I'm the only guy in that room really handling both D-end and D-tackle. It means a lot that it's my third year in college, I'm at a new stop, and they trust me to be able to play both [positions] and learn both."
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"I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to show off my versatility. I don't feel like I'm losing something going inside or outside. I feel like I can play both pretty well."
Former defensive lineman Breaden Fiske was another player who did some moving around on the line.
While he primarily stayed at tackle, he was one of the most dominant forces on the line last season and his time at FSU has given him the chance to be drafted into the NFL.
Durojaiye said that he talked to Fiske a bit before committing to FSU.
"I DM'd him before I committed just to see how he felt about Florida State and he said it's the best decision he could've made," Durojaiye said. "I think for me when you look at the edge rushers, like Jermaine [Jonhson] and [Jared] Verse those guys are different players but are first-rounders in their own way."
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"Coming here, I never thought that I had to be like somebody. Everybody was their own person. I'm big at looking at the history of players. Coach Odell and JP have coached guys like me and developed guys with my skill set."
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on X @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's Durojaiye taking on challenge of playing at both DL positions
