According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, former FSU offensive tackle Josh Ball plans to re-enroll at Florida State University in hopes of returning to the program that he once signed his National Letter of Intent to back in February of 2016.
Ball, a consensus four star recruit hailing from Fredericksburg, Virginia solidified his position at offensive tackle during the dreadful 2017 campaign where he anchored a battered o-line for nine games before being suspended by the university judicial panel due to his role in dating violence allegations with his former girlfriend.
Following the investigation, Ball was suspended immediately from all FSU related activities and soon transferred to Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas where helped lead the Grizzlies to a 8-4 record in the highly competitive NJCAA Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
Prior to his suspension, the massive 6-foot-8, 350-pound offensive tackle was expected to start at one of the two tackle positions before head coach Willie Taggart and offensive line coach Greg Frey were faced with the daunting tasking of furnishing arguably the worst offensive line in the history of the program.
With that being said, despite being slated to return around 11 offensive linemen next season, the number one priority for this staff in the 2019 recruiting cycle as we all know is the offensive line. Tribe 19 currently has one lone o-line commit in the name of Donte Lucas, who’s ultimately an interior lineman.
Nevertheless, the situation at tackle is as dire as ever so taking a JUCO transfer or two is certainly a given in this year’s class; and former starting tackle Josh Ball surely proves to bolster a depleted unit as the ‘Noles offensive line looks to get back to just an average level of productivity in year two of the Willie Taggart era.
Therefore, keep an ear out over the next several weeks as this Florida State Football coaching staff continues on the trail as they attempt to rejuvenate one of the most baffled units in college football that played statistically three of the worst offensive linemen in the country.
Former FSU offensive lineman seeking return - NoleGameday