A key star for FSU Football has been ruled out on Labor Day due to a serious ailment

FSU Football  are preparing for a crucial ACC matchup against Boston College on Labor Day. However, head coach Mike Norvell and his team will be shorthanded as they aim to avoid an 0-2 start in their home opener in Tallahassee.

According to a Florida State spokesperson, at least four players will be unavailable for the game against the Eagles. These players include redshirt senior offensive tackle Jeremiah Byers, redshirt sophomore linebackers Omar Graham Jr. and Shawn Murphy, and sophomore wide receiver Hykeem Williams, all sidelined due to various ailments.

The most significant loss is Byers, who was listed as the starting right tackle on the depth chart released earlier this week. Despite struggling in the opening week loss to Georgia Tech, Byers played significantly more than his backup, redshirt senior Robert Scott. Scott has also been dealing with injuries over the past two years and missed all of spring practice. If Scott is limited, redshirt sophomore Jaylen Early and redshirt freshman Lucas Simmons could step in.

Graham Jr. started alongside redshirt senior DJ Lundy last week but didn’t record any stats in the defeat. With Graham Jr. out, senior Cam Riley, sophomore Blake Nichelson, and sophomore Justin Cryer are expected to see increased playing time against Boston College. Nichelson was one of the more promising defenders in an otherwise disappointing game, while Cryer didn’t earn any defensive snaps despite a solid preseason. Riley made his debut with the Seminoles, tallying seven tackles.

Williams and Murphy both missed last week’s game and were identified by Norvell as limited earlier in the week. While there was hope that Williams might return for this game, it appears the team will hold him out until after the bye week. Murphy’s recovery seems to be progressing more slowly, according to Norvell.

Without Williams, the Seminoles relied on redshirt senior Ja’Khi Douglas, senior Malik Benson, redshirt freshman Jalen Brown, redshirt senior Kentron Poitier, and redshirt senior Darion William in Week 0. It will be interesting to see if Norvell expands the rotation to include redshirt freshman Deuce Spann, true freshman Lawayne McCoy, and true freshman Elijah Moore on Monday night.

Florida State and Boston College are set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. EST on Monday, September 2, with the game being nationally televised on ESPN.