Season preview: A look at the FAMU football offensive protection plan
What good is having an abundance of offensive skill without the proper protection?
That's where the offensive line comes in to play for the 2022 Florida A&M football team.
With a couple of all-conference tackles graduated, the Rattlers are looking to fill the needed edge control.
They may have found their guys in a duo of former Power 5 linemen.
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Dynamic duo out
It hurts to lose two of your best offensive linemen in transfers Keenan Forbes (Washington State) and Jay Jackson-Williams (Florida State).
Forbes, a right tackle, was a first-team All-SWAC selection last season. Left tackle Jackson-Williams made second team All-SWAC.
The tackles helped the Rattlers to rank fourth in total offense average in the SWAC at 380.9 yards per game. They also allowed the least amount of sacks in the conference with only 15 total in 12 games.
The Replacements
Jackpot.
The Rattlers did it again, getting a two-for-one special in transfers with two former ACC linemen - Jalen Goss from Florida State and Toryque Bateman from Louisville.
With the duo slated to join the team, newly-hired Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach Joseph Henry should have a nice starting foundation.
Each player stands 6-foot-7 inches.
Goss, a junior, committed to FAMU last December and weighs 270 pounds.
Bateman is a graduate student that recently committed on July 10 and weighs 308 pounds.
FAMU also added welcomed depth with Rickards alumnus and former FSU tackle Christopher Williams on July 15.
Filling out the line
With the question mark of who could replace former offensive tackles Forbes and Jackson-Williams at out the way, let's talk about the guards.
At the Orange and Green Spring Game, Kendarius Cunningham lined up as the right guard with Dariyon Weeden on the right side for the starting offense to protect quarterback Resean McKay.
Cunningham is a 6-foot-4, 315-pound redshirt sophomore from St. Petersburg Gibbs High School.
Weeden is a newcomer from Cisco College in Texas and has a 6-foot-3, 310-pound frame.
Gerald Thomas III covers FAMU athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Former Power 5 lineman in to replace All-SWAC duo
