This offseason has not been kind to some of college football's standouts.
Florida State defensive back Greg Reid -- a consensus freshman All-American in 2009 -- was dismissed from the Florida State team Wednesday morning for a violation of team rules. The senior was arrested in July for a suspended license and possession of marijuana. Reid had previous run-ins with coach Jimbo Fisher, as this is his second official "violation of team rules.”
The first caused him to be suspended against Charleston Southern last season. This time, he will be looking for a new team to finish out his collegiate career.
Reid has two choices if he chooses to continue his football career at the collegiate level. He is still eligible to redshirt a season if he elects to transfer to a program in the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which would require he sit out one season before playing. However, if he wants to play immediately, he will need to take the much-travelled route of finding a program at the Football Championship Subdivision level to vie for his services.
With as much talent as he has -- and for the relatively misdemeanor charges he brings along with him -- it is hard to imagine him not having a couple options.
The dismissal will, undoubtedly, affect the Seminoles defensive backfield.
While Reid is just 5-foot-8, his playmaking ability has been lauded since his freshman season and it will be missed. Loaded with talent, the secondary grouping of Reid, Lamarcus Joyner and Xavier Rhodes was supposed to be headline-caliber and it carried expectations of a big-time season playing behind Fisher's vaunted defensive line. Now that’s out of the equation, at least as it was previously advertised. The Seminoles will also need to find another dynamic kick returner (Reid trailed Deion Sanders by just 313 yards on the school's all-time punt return list.)
Florida State, predicted to capture the ACC title by the media last week, will have a couple games (See: Murray State, Savannah State) to solidify the corner position opposite Rhodes and figure out their kick/punt returner situation.
Either way, this is not the best of news heading into a season carrying such, albeit time-worn, high expectations.
