One of the biggest rivalries in the ACC comes ahead once again on Oct 26, 2024. It is close to Halloween which means its spooky hours for one of the programs between the Florida State Seminoles and the Miami Hurricanes.

This rivalry has been going back and forth over the past number of years but recently the Seminoles have been getting the best of the Canes. They have won the previous three matchups between the teams and gone 6-4 in the last ten. This game will be one of the biggest games in the ACC during this season with the expectations that Florida State will still have a similar season as last year.

Going undefeated is a great accomplishment and winning the ACC championship with a third-string quarterback will be remembered for ages, however, a bad taste in the Seminole’s mouth for being snubbed out of the 2023 College Football Playoffs will have the team returning with more hunger than before. While most of their talented defensive and offensive players were drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, Florida State has regrouped and recalibrated. Here is a look at the 2024 Florida State Seminoles.

Last season the Seminoles were the No. 1 scoring offense in the ACC and that was even with the injury to quarterback Jordan Travis. Now he has been drafted, new QB DJ Uiagalelei, the former Clemson star who transferred to Oregon State for a year, will not take the reigns. With the return to the ACC, the quarterback will have some questions about his game and leading this team back to a No. 1 scoring offensive when he has a career completion percentage of 59 percent.

Other players with most of the production in the offense have also been drafted into the NFL as well. Wide receiver Keon Coleman (No. 33 overall, Buffalo Bills), Trey Benson (No. 66 overall, Arizona Cardinals), and Johnny Wilson (No. 185 overall, Philadelphia Eagles) generated most of the offensive production last season. This season will be one of question marks around who will make up for that production.

Hakeem Williams will have major involvement as a wide receiver now that the production of the Seminoles top guys needs to be replaced. Ja’Khi Douglas averaged over 17 yards per catch last season, and transfer Malik Benson comes in from Alabama to try and kickstart his career with a fresh opportunity.

Even with Benson leaving the team will still have talent at the running back rosters with senior Lawrence Toafili who averaged 6.7 yards a carry and finished with 463 yards on the season.

The offensive line looks to be better on paper with a majority returning to the line and new additions with Richie Leonard (Florida) and TJ Ferguson (Alabama) being brought in from the transfer portal.

The defense for the Seminoles last season was stout with NFL talent. Jared Verse (No. 19 overall, Los Angeles Rams), Braden Fiske (No. 39 overall, Los Angeles Rams), safety Renardo Green (No. 64 overall, San Francisco 49ers), and defensive back Jarrian Jones ( No. 96 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars) each had a massive impact on what was one of the best defense in the country. Even with those losses, the defense will still be one of the best in the country.

Patrick Payton will be returning after battling alongside Verse on the line. He finished his season with seven sacks and 14.5 tackles. With him is also Georgia transfer Marvin Jones Jr. lining up next to him.

Last season they had one of the best passing defenses in the country and their top corners are still on the roster for next season. Fentrell Cypress broke up eight passes last season while also making 40 tackles. These stats are outstanding but something that also has to be noted is that teams will try to stay away from him. Even with that, Azareye’h Thomas is on the other side with two more pass deflections in ten.

DJ Lundy will likely be the top linebacker in the room and with the addition of Shawn Murphy transferring in from Alabama, the linebacker room has had a complete turnover. Lundy is the only senior in the room with the rest of the linebackers being redshirt sophomores or younger. It is a young room but with that brings a lot of opportunity.

While there were several turnovers on the defensive side of the ball, there will still be many key pieces that will return to lead the team.

These back-to-back games for the Hurricanes against Lousiville and Florida State will be the most difficult stretch on the team schedule. They will follow this game and head to Durham to face the Duke Blue Devils in the week following. This could be the point in their season where the Canes will have an understanding of what needs to be done to finish out the season strong They could be undefeated or they could have one or three losses at this point,

The each team, this will be a massive game to see where the ACC standing will line up going forward. These two teams will be battling it out for who will be in the ACC championship game as well as a spot or two in the College Football Playoffs. For each team, a win will be a great on their resume. At this point in the season, each team will know what they will likely be competing for. For Miami, it will be a bowl win and for the Seminoles, it will be a chance to rewrite the wrong that left Florida State out of the playoffs last season.

Date: October 28

Time: TBA

TV: TBA

Location: Hard Rock Stadium

Series: Miami leads 35-33 against Florida State

Last Matchup: The Seminoles defeated the Hurricane in a close matchup 27-20 on Nov 11, 2024. This was one of the many times freshman Emory Williams started and played a decent game before suffering a season-ending injury. Jacolby Geroge had a monster game catching two touchdowns on 153 yards in the loss.

Miami Hurricanes 2024 Football Schedule

August 31            at Florida

September 7      Florida A&M

September 14    Ball State

September 21    at USF

September 27    Virginia Tech

October 5            at California

October 12         Bye Week

October 19         at Louisville

October 26         Florida State

November 2       Duke

November 9       at Georgia Tech

November 16     Bye Week

November 23    Wake Forest

November 30     at Syracuse

Opal Lee walked outside and waved. That was all it took. Crowds clamored for a glimpse. People shouted her name and snapped photographs as television crews aimed their cameras at her.

Wearing sunglasses, a blue T-shirt and red tennis shoes, Lee led hundreds Wednesday on her annual Opal’s Walk for Freedom, a 2.5-mile trek to celebrate Juneteenth.

This year’s walk moved from Lee’s hometown of Fort Worth to Dallas, but the 97-year-old “grandmother of Juneteenth” drew the same big crowds and adoration. Supporters wore T-shirts and carried signs bearing her image, and many clapped and waved as she walked by.

Juneteenth recognizes the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston to inform enslaved people of their freedom, about 2½ years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

“July 4 freed the land,” Lee said before the walk. “But Juneteenth freed the people.”

Black Americans, especially in Texas, have celebrated the day for decades, but interest in the holiday skyrocketed in recent years. In 2016, Lee made her way from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., walking 2½ miles in several cities along the way to represent the 2½ years it took for news of emancipation to reach Galveston. In 2021, President Joe Biden, with Lee at his side, signed into law a bill declaring Juneteenth a national holiday.

Growing up, Tiffany Weaver, 45, said she celebrated the holiday with friends and family eating barbecue and playing outside. This year she joined Lee’s walk, which began at the African American Museum in Dallas’ Fair Park.

Weaver, who lives in Dallas, said she loves that Juneteenth is now celebrated on a larger scale.

“We weren’t free until we were all free,” she said. “This has been a long time coming.”

Stanton Brown, 32, of McKinney, who brought his infant and 4-year-old daughters to the walk, said he long knew about Juneteenth but only began celebrating the day in recent years.

“Freedom is really a mindset,” Brown said. “I want to honor the people who came before me and fought for freedom. I’m here because of them.”

As they walked, marchers clasped hands and some sang “This Little Light of Mine.” Parents pushed young children in strollers or carried them on shoulders, and Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders walked alongside marching band drummers and members of a Girl Scouts troop.

Traditional African dancers and drummers lined the route and walked next to Lee, flanked by Fort Worth’s Miss Juneteenth and a cluster of police officers.

Many fanned themselves from the heat, which hovered in the 80s for most of the walk, cooler than in past years.

Lee, who grew up in Texas, has recalled celebrating Juneteenth by picnicking with her family, first in Marshall and later in Fort Worth. In 1939, when she was 12, a mob of white supremacists set fire to her family’s home in Fort Worth and destroyed it. Lee and her family were forced to flee. The event shaped her life as an educator and activist.

Lee received a new home this month, courtesy of the community, on the same lot.

This year’s walk moved to Dallas to highlight the role Juneteenth has on other U.S. cities, Lee’s granddaughter, Dione Sims said. Cities around the world planned their own walks, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and Tokyo. Next year, the march will return to Fort Worth before heading to Washington, D.C., in 2026.

On Wednesday, Lee, who rode in a golf cart for part of the walk, said her work is far from over, and she urged supporters to tackle homelessness and climate change.

“If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love,” she said. “We are all our brother’s keeper. It behooves us to act like it.”

What was your most interesting job before going into real estate?

Working for TGI Fridays

Where did you grow up?

Long Island, New York

Growing up, what did you want to be?

A teacher

What do you do to relax when you’re stressed?

Work in the garden

If you could meet any well-known figure (living or not), who would it be and why?

I am struggling with this question. I really do not have an answer.

What is Atlanta’s best-kept secret?

Affordability compared to other large cities in the country

What do you love most about the industry?

Fast pace, problem solving, making money.

How do you distinguish yourself from the crowd of agents?

Consistent work habits

What is the most difficult aspect of your job?

The unknown

What’s your best advice for generating new leads?

Constant follow-up

What are you binge-watching/reading/listening to lately?

Sales, fashion and decorating on social media

What’s your favorite meal in Atlanta?

I love so many of the restaurants in the Canton area.

Architecturally speaking, what is your favorite building in Atlanta?

The King & Queen Buildings

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you on the job?

Walking into someone taking a shower in my model home

What’s one thing people are surprised to learn about you?

I have six grandchildren, about to have seven.

What is your favorite vacation spot and why?

Boca Raton, Florida. I love the beach and food.

What is your favorite city after Atlanta?

Blue Ridge

In 10 words or less, what is your advice for someone new to the industry?

Be a good listener, be a problem solver, ask for the sale.

Who are your favorite people to follow on social media?

Jeremy Miner

What are your social media handles?

Lori Greenberg Asche