Florida State University Athletics
Football Round-Up: Gainer Looks To Build On Promising Start
9/4/2019 6:27:19 PM | Football
WATCH: Amari Gainer interview, Sept. 4
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Amari Gainer believes that the Florida State defense has what it takes to be great in 2019.
If Gainer turns out to be right, he’ll likely have played a big part in why.
The box score doesn’t make it obvious, but Gainer, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Tallahassee, was one of the defense’s bright spots in last week’s loss to Boise State.
Gainer officially registered two tackles and a quarterback hurry against the Broncos, but a closer look shows contributions that extend beyond the stat sheet.
From his spot on the outside edge, Gainer did a little bit of everything on Saturday, rushing the passer, dropping into coverage and supporting the Seminoles’ run defense in equal measure.
On one snap, Gainer stayed stride-for-stride with a Boise State receiver 20 yards downfield. On another, he came clean through the Broncos’ offensive line for a punishing hit on quarterback Hank Bachmeier.
In just a few brief moments, Gainer, the son of former FSU standout Herb Gainer (1984-87), showed why he was one of the top linebacker prospects in the recruiting class of 2018. And why his hometown team was so keen to keep the Chiles High product in Tallahassee.
“I think he’s going to continue to play throughout the year,” FSU head coach Willie Taggart said Wednesday. “You’re going to see him playing along with Leonard Warner.
“Amari is a good football player and the more reps he gets, the more he plays in games, I think you’re going to see him even more.”
That sounds good to Florida State fans who view Gainer as part of a talented wave of the future. And it sounds even better to Gainer, who is happy to finally be healthy and contributing after contending with a foot injury throughout much of the 2018 season.
He sustained the injury during preseason camp, and although he made his debut a few weeks later at Syracuse, Gainer missed the next five games and didn’t appear again until late in the season at North Carolina State.
He would go on to play again against Notre Dame and Boston College, primarily on special teams, but finished the year with his redshirt intact.
Last week’s game marked his first extended action with the base defense, and Gainer made the most of it.
“To get my feet wet a little bit against Boise, it was kind of fun getting out there and knowing my role in the defense and doing our job,” Gainer said. “That’s what we preach – do our job.”
That’s where Gainer and his defensive counterparts are focusing their efforts this week, as they prepare to face a ULM team that ran for 315 yards in a win over FCS Grambling State last week.
“It’s just correcting assignments and making sure everybody does their jobs,” he said. “…Just kind of technique stuff. Each week comes with a different aspect of the game.”
If they can nail down those things, the Seminoles should show signs of improvement sooner rather than later.
Gainer, for his part, is steadfast in his belief that it’s coming.
“I’m really confident,” he said. “I’m confident in my team, and I’m confident in what everyone can do. We have a lot of talent on this team.”
Taggart clarifies radio show comments: Losing a season-opener in the social-media age can bring about some strange and unexpected fallouts, and Taggart addressed a strange and unexpected fallout on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters before practice – he usually speaks to the media on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays – Taggart sought to clarify comments that he made during his Monday radio show.
On the show, Taggart said that the Seminoles needed to make sure that they’re properly hydrated and prepared for the sweltering heat that’s projected for this week’s game against ULM.
Some online reactions to those comments suggested that Taggart was publicly criticizing FSU’s medical, training and conditioning staff, and that he was blaming poor hydration as a factor in the Seminoles’ loss to Boise State. On Wednesday, Taggart said that he meant nothing of the sort.
“Some folks insinuated some words that I said and took it a totally different way,” he said. “Nowhere in there (did I talk) about Boise, about that being an excuse for losing to Boise for anything.”
Taggart also made sure to let everyone know how he feels about FSU’s medical, training and nutrition staff.
“We have great medical staff people that do a great job with our players,” he said. “… Nothing in that said anything negative. I don’t know where that came from.”
Taggart confirms ‘plan’ for defensive staff on game days: In the wake of Saturday’s defensive performance, Taggart was asked about the defensive staff’s distribution during the game.
All four full-time defensive assistants – Harlon Barnett, Mark Snyder, Odell Haggins and Raymond Woodie – coached from the sideline, while support staffers watched the game from high above in the coaches’ box and relayed their observations via headset.
Taggart implied that there will be changes to that arrangement on Saturday, although he declined to specify what those changes will be.
“Yes, we’ll have a plan,” he said. “You’ll see Saturday.”
Barnett, in his second year as the Seminoles’ defensive coordinator, has coached from both vantage points in the past. He started last year on the sidelines and moved upstairs later in the season.