TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State defensive star safety Lamarcus Joyner will return for his senior season in 2013.
“Coach Fisher and I aren’t finish with what we started here,” Joyner said. “He said from day one I was going to be one of those guys that was going to help turn this program around. We’ve started down the right path so far but we’re still not finish. This wasn’t a decision I could make just for myself but for my family in order to help them down the road, which is why I’m going to stay at Florida State for my last season.”
Joyner, a first team All-ACC selection and one of the anchors of the Seminoles No. 2 defense, started all 14 games at strong safety in 2012 and will bring a streak of 27 consecutive starts into 2013. Joyner has played in every game since he arrived at Florida State as a freshman in 2010. He finished 2012 as the team’s fifth leading tackler with 51 tackles (27 unassisted), 1.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He had the third-longest interception return of the season when he took a pick back 33 yards versus Boston College, which was his sixth of his FSU career. Joyner led FSU in kick returns (18) and kick return yardage (424) and had the longest kick-off return of the season. He returned five kickoffs for 185 yards including a 90 yarder versus Clemson in a top 10 win for the Seminoles.
“I’m very excited that Lamarcus is going to return for his senior season,” FSU head football coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He’s such a great leader and ambassador for our university and football program. He still has some goals that he wants to accomplish, and I can’t express how happy I am that he’s going to be here at Florida State for another year. He’s one of the guys that has been a major part of our success the last three years. For him to want to stay and continue to help build this program, really shows his character as a person.”
