Why Florida State football could have ideal backup plan at center in new starter Darius Washington

Darius Washington had no time to waste.

As soon as the Florida State offensive lineman and Pensacola product returned from an unspecified injury earlier this month, the coaching staff moved him from right guard to center.

The Seminoles needed to fill a significant void after their top two centers – starter Maurice Smith (undisclosed injury) and backup Kayden Lyles (season-ending injury) – went down during preseason camp. So they turned to their most versatile offensive lineman, Washington, to switch positions.

Again.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Washington lined up practically everywhere on FSU’s offensive line in his first three seasons. His ability to play both tackle positions, guard and center has been useful for a Seminole offensive line that experienced quite a few injuries in recent years.

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And Washington continues to embrace being shuffled around.

“My mindset if I have to move to a different position is like, ‘Let’s get it. Let’s go. I’m ready to go play,’” Washington said.

FSU plans to lean on Washington at center for at least its season opener against Duquesne, which kicks off at 5 p.m. ET Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Just because that Week Zero game will be Washington’s first career start at center, though, doesn’t mean that he is not ready for his new role. Washington should benefit from already starting 20 career games. None of FSU’s other offensive linemen have tallied more starts with the Seminoles.

Center, a position that calls for players with leadership and a deep understanding of the offensive line, could suit Washington well.

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“Darius has been in the offense for a while. So his understanding of concepts is elite,” Atkins said. “He has played all five positions. …

“You are able to have more of a comfort level. So Darius will be fine, because he knows it and understands it. And he has been on both sides of it – left tackle, right tackle, the guards and things like that.

“So I have a lot of confidence in Darius being able to execute that.”

What Washington still has left to prove at center is his ability to snap the football. He has struggled with the placement and consistency of his snaps in practice at times, which is typical for an offensive lineman transitioning to center.

Washington knows how much he must nail down that process.

“You’ve got to work on it, because snapping the ball is very crucial. Especially in big games,” Washington said. “Big-time moments, if we have good or bad snaps, that can win or lose games.

“And that is something that coach Atkins preaches to us a lot, making sure that our snaps are good. Because that can be the difference between winning and losing a game.”

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Finally 300 pounds

For the first time in his career, Washington currently comes in at around or above his target of 300 pounds.

Reaching that goal had been a challenge for Washington. FSU head coach Mike Norvell even joked about not wanting to disclose how light Washington weighed in prior seasons. Injuries and other circumstances had hindered Washington from gaining and holding weight.

Until now.

“We are in Tallahassee, Florida. It’s hot here every day,” Washington said on why staying at 300 had been difficult. “The amount of calories, and my water intake too.

“Hydration is probably one of the biggest things that (impacts) the weight. Because you might eat a lot of food, but when you come out here (to practice), you sweat. We work, so we are going to sweat.

“And if you aren’t putting that water back into your body, you are going to keep dropping weight. So that’s one thing, making sure that I keep up with my hydration. And our nutritional staff is doing a great job with helping us do that.”

Washington also had to recover from an injury he suffered during the spring. He lined up as the starting right guard before going down and missing the last handful of spring practices. He returned early in preseason camp in limited fashion and gradually ramped up to full activity.

“His continued rehab and putting himself in a position is something that he’s had to bust his tail to do,” Norvell said.

That Washington has been serviceable at multiple positions speaks to his technical prowess, football IQ and overall athleticism. But Washington managed to play well and be that versatile despite perpetually falling under his desired weight.

In 12 games as a starting offensive tackle last season, Washington only allowed one quarterback sack.

“It takes a lot. You’ve got to watch film to be able to learn,” Washington said. “ … Playing tackle, guard and center, you have different types of ways that you have to get to blocks. And you have to do certain things in pass sets.

“So you’ve got to watch film and make sure that you are transitioning from playing tackle to center or guard. You’ve got to make sure that you are fixing all of those different details.”

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Translating offensive tackle experience to center

Washington took some lessons from his experience as an offensive tackle.

“Switching from left and right tackle, you are seeing two different sides of the field,” Washington said. “In a right tackle’s stance, you are looking from the center to the right side of the field. With the left tackle, you are looking from the center to the left side of the field. So being able to switch up how my angles look and how I’m looking toward the field. …

“It was a good learning experience to be able to have. Because whenever you are switching from both sides, technique-wise, it’s completely different. It might be both tackle positions, but I had to switch my stance up. That can kind of be difficult.”

When Washington joined FSU via the 2019 class, recruiting websites 247Sports and Rivals projected him to be an offensive tackle. Though Washington never exactly developed the frame of a tackle, the Seminoles still played him there out of need.

Now at center, Washington will play a position that could better tailor to his strengths. Not just technically, but also with his knowledge of every spot on the offensive line.

“Getting here, I knew playing tackle wasn’t going to be the main goal,” Washington said. “But over the past three years that I’ve been here and going into my fourth, I’ve been able to play both tackle positions and do fairly well at them.

“Moving inside kind of gives me a different perspective and an idea of what the guys inside – the guards and center – have to go through. It gives me a better outtake of how to approach the game.”

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GAME INFORMATION

Who: FSU vs. Duquesne

When/Where: Saturday, 5 p.m., Doak Campbell Stadium

TV/Radio: ACC Network/94.9 FM

Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @CarterKarels on Twitter; @Ehsan_Kassim on Twitter; @JimHenryTALLY on Twitter

Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: OL Darius Washington gives Seminoles solid backup plan at center