Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 22
The countdown to the 2022 Florida State football season is underway.
Mike Norvell's third season atop the Seminoles will be a critical one to his long-term chances in Tallahassee. The roster continues to be shaped more in his desired image as he looks to guide FSU to a bowl for the first time in his tenure.
To begin that look ahead to the upcoming season, it's time for the Democrat's annual list of the 40 most important FSU football players, continuing today with No. 22.
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Our list of the 40 most important FSU football players was compiled on June 9 by aggregating the rankings submitted by beat writers Curt Weiler and Carter Karels. Any players added to the roster after that date were not considered for this list. All ties were broken by discussion.
No. 22: Offensive lineman Kayden Lyles
When Lyles announced he would be transferring to FSU from Wisconsin during the early signing period last December, it was seen as quite a coup for the Seminoles.
Like Dillan Gibbons, who arrived before the 2021 season from Notre Dame, Lyles was arriving at FSU after spending time at one of the highly-regarded schools for developing offensive linemen.
It's a homecoming for Lyles, who calls Tampa home but finished his high school career at Middleton (Wisc.) High before signing with the Badgers in 2017.
Early in his time at WIsconsin, Lyles was asked to briefly switch sides of the line in 2018 and did so willingly, playing 12 games and making seven starts at defensive end last season.
The last three years, though, have had Lyles back on the offensive line.
He appeared in all 13 games in the 2019 season, making four starts at left guard.
Then, he started the first four games of the 2020 season at center before suffering a season-ending injury. In 2021, he appeared in four games and made one start at center before entering the portal midway through the season in October.
He arrives at FSU having appeared in 22 games and made nine starts on the offensive line, bringing some experience up front the Seminoles definitely needed.
Lyles arrived at FSU in January and certainly looks the part of someone ready to claim a starting spot on the offensive line at 6-foot-3, 321 pounds.
It was largely assumed entering this past spring that Lyles would take over the job from returning center Maurice Smith over the course of the offseason. That could still be the case but Lyles was somewhat limited and Smith battled to keep his spot.
It's still probable that Lyles ends up as the starting center if healthy, but the odds seem slightly worse than they did entering the spring.
If Smith manages to maintain the starting spot, Lyles would still be quite important. He could contribute at one of the guard spots, likely right guard, or be a key reserve lineman at a few spots for the Seminoles.
Florida State football most important player countdown
No. 40: Defensive tackle Jarrett Jackson
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 40
No. 39: Safety Shyheim Brown
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 39
No. 38: Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 38
No. 37: Defensive end Patrick Payton
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 37
No. 36: Defensive back Sam McCall
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 36
No. 35: Defensive back Azareye'h Thomas
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 35
No. 34: Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 34
No. 33: Wide receiver Ja'Khi Douglas
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 33
No. 32: Defensive tackle Malcolm Ray
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 32
No. 31: Linebacker Amari Gainer
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 31
No. 30: Linebacker DJ Lundy
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 30
No. 29: Offensive lineman Maurice Smith
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 29
No. 28: Running back Lawrance Toafili
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 28
No. 27: Offensive lineman Bless Harris
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No. 26: Quarterback Tate Rodemaker
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 26
No. 25: Defensive end Dennis Briggs Jr.
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 25
No. 24: Wide receiver Johnny Wilson
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 24
No. 23: Cornerback Renardo Green
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 23
Reach Curt Weiler at cweiler@tallahassee.com or follow him on Twitter @CurtMWeiler.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football most important player countdown: No. 22, OL Kayden Lyles
