With all the recent departures for the NFL draft which usually accompany the end of the football season, Florida State is actually getting some good news on that front.
In a release on Thursday, junior safety Lamarcus Joyner announced he would be returning for another year with the Seminoles.
“Coach Fisher and I aren’t finished with what we started here,” Joyner said. “He said from day one I was going to be one of those guys that was going to help turn this program around. We’ve started down the right path so far but we’re still not finished. This wasn’t a decision I could make just for myself but for my family in order to help them down the road, which is why I’m going to stay at Florida State for my last season.”
Joyner (pictured, No. 20) finished fifth on the team this year with 51 tackles. He also had an interception, five pass break-ups and six passes defended as part of FSU’s top-10 defense. Those numbers were good enough to warrant a first team All-ACC selection.
“I’m very excited that Lamarcus is going to return for his senior season,” Jimbo Fisher said in a statement. “He’s such a great leader and ambassador for our university and football program. He still has some goals that he wants to accomplish, and I can’t express how happy I am that he’s going to be here at Florida State for another year. He’s one of the guys that has been a major part of our success the last three years. For him to want to stay and continue to help build this program, really shows his character as a person.”
Joyner is a bit undersized at 5-foot-8 and 195 pounds, but his contribution as a starter all season long was felt as part of the Seminoles’ secondary. His return in 2013 is, without a doubt, a huge boost for Florida State.