There’s a chance one of the most talented defensive players in the country won’t see the field again in 2016.
On his radio call-in show Wednesday night, Jimbo Fisher announced that Derwin James will miss the remainder of the regular season because of his knee injury. The Florida State head coach did allow that the safety could return for a bowl game, although that’s far from a certainty.
James suffered a torn meniscus in Week 2, and hasn’t played since. After undergoing surgery, it was thought that the defensive back could possibly return against Clemson in Week 9. Instead, James was sidelined and has missed the last seven games. He’s has played in just two this year.
As a true freshman last season, James’ 91 tackles were second only to Reggie Northrup’s 94. He was also second on the team in tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (4.5).
For that, he was named a consensus freshman All-American and third-team All-ACC. This offseason, he was named to the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy and Thorpe Award watch lists.