Florida State safety Akeem Dent expected to shine after slow start to his career
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. 15.
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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. 15: Redshirt junior safety Akeem Dent
Entering the 2021 season, it was fair to wonder if Dent was ever going to live up to his potential.
The Pahokee, Fla. native was the crown jewel of the Seminoles' 2019 recruiting class, a five-star defensive back according to Rivals and the No. 86 overall player/No. 11 cornerback in the class according to 247Sports.
For one reason or another, though, things just didn't align through Dent's first two seasons with the Seminoles. He made five starts as a true freshman in 2019 and five more during the 2020 season, appearing in 20 of FSU's 22 games over that span.
However, he lacked consistency as he was placed at safety for the 2019 season and then moved to cornerback in 2020 in Norvell's first season atop the program.
The 2021 season was proof that sometimes even the highest-ranked of prospects need a bit of ripening before they are ready to realize their potential.
Back at safety in 2021, Dent started the first two games of the year at buck and the final six games of the year at free safety. He recorded 44 tackles, his first career interception, four pass breakups, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack.
His 68.7 grade for the 2021 season, per Pro Football Focus, was far and away the best of his collegiate career.
After starting each of the last six games of the season alongside Jammie Robinson, Dent will get a bit of an unexpected opportunity to run it back in 2022. Robinson returned for one more year with the Seminoles after earning a first-team All-ACC honor.
Their combination should be experienced and athletic as the anchors at the back of the FSU defense.
Florida State football most important player countdown
No. 40: Defensive tackle Jarrett Jackson
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No. 39: Safety Shyheim Brown
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No. 38: Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald
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No. 37: Defensive end Patrick Payton
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No. 36: Defensive back Sam McCall
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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
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No. 32: Defensive tackle Malcolm Ray
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No. 31: Linebacker Amari Gainer
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No. 30: Linebacker DJ Lundy
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No. 29: Offensive lineman Maurice Smith
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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
No. 22: Offensive lineman Kayden Lyles
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 22
No. 21: Tight end Camren McDonald
More: Florida State football most important player countdown: No. 21
No. 20: Wide receiver Malik McClain
More: Florida State football's Malik McClain may bring highest long-term upside among WR group
No. 19: Offensive lineman D'Mitri Emmanuel
More: How Charlotte OL transfer D'Mitri Emmanuel could start for Florida State football
No. 18: Linebacker Kalen DeLoach
More: FSU football's Kalen DeLoach should make linebacker room dynamic beside Tatum Bethune
No. 17: Cornerback Kevin Knowles II
More: Florida State's defense to keep benefiting from Kevin Knowles II's play at nickel
No. 16: Running back Treshaun Ward
More: Florida State RB Treshaun Ward looking to be more than a walk-on success story
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. 15, S Akeem Dent
