Football season is almost upon us.

The Florida State football team is set to begin preseason camp on August 2 ahead of its 2019 opening game against Boise State at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville on August 31 at 7 p.m.

The Seminoles are coming off their first losing season since 1976 after last season's 5-7 finish in Willie Taggart's first season as head coach.

With camp less than two weeks away, it's time to survey the state of the FSU roster position-by-position, continuing with the running backs.

What happened to the depth?

In reality, FSU's running back unit has been among the deepest and most talented on the Seminoles' roster since the 2013 season.

Dating back to the days of Devonta Freeman, James Wilder Jr. and Karlos Williams in the backfield, FSU has always had multiple running back options who would likely be the unquestioned top back at a number of other schools.

That's still the case this season in FSU's top-heavy running back room. The problem is that a lot of the depth is gone.

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In two recruiting classes, Taggart and his staff have signed just one running back. That leaves FSU with just three scholarship running backs entering the 2019 season after Jacques Patrick graduated and Amir Rasul transferred.

The saving grace may be that two of them are former five-star prospects while the third was a high three-star recruit.

It's possible that three running backs will be enough to get through the season without concern if the Seminoles get some injury luck.

It's also possible things don't go so well and the depth issue is made clear.

Junior Cam Akers

Cam Akers didn't have the sophomore season he wanted or expected.

After breaking the FSU freshman rushing record set by Dalvin Cook in 2014 with 1,025 yards in 2017, Akers talked the talk ahead of his sophomore season.

As one of FSU's representatives at ACC Media Days in 2018, Akers talked about the improvements he needed to make and how much better he thought his yards per carry mark could be than the 5.3 he posted as a freshman.

Behind an offensive line that struggled to create holes for him and battling a sprained ankle that hindered him all season, Akers finished the season averaging 4.4 yards per carry with 706 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Now entering what will almost assuredly be his final season as a Seminole, Akers is the unquestioned leader of the FSU running back room. As such, he should get the majority of the touches.

Although some improvement on the offensive line is expected, Akers has more than enough talent to break runs and make his own holes when healthy even if the offensive line improvement is minimal.

That may determine exactly what legacy Akers leaves behind in Tallahassee.

Redshirt Sophomore Khalan Laborn

Had Khalan Laborn stayed healthy last season, he was on pace to have his breakout season.

His versatile strengths as a running back, receiver and kick returner made him near impossible to keep off the field.

However, a dislocated kneecap and MCL injury forced Laborn to miss the final 10 games of the 2018 season and delayed his time at FSU.

With Patrick now gone, Laborn is the clear-cut choice to back up Akers, a role that will bring with it plenty of touches.

Laborn bounced back surprisingly quickly from his severe knee injury as he returned to practice as a full participant before the end of spring practice after suffering the injury in Sept.

There didn't seem to be any lingering effects as Laborn led all FSU running backs with 55 rushing yards.

Laborn won't be the starter for the Seminoles but he will play a significant role in an offense that is tailor-made to his strengths as a playmaker in space.

Sophomore Anthony Grant

It was something of a surprise when Buford, Ga. running back Anthony Grant picked the Seminoles on National Signing Day in 2018.

Looking back now, it's a very good thing for the state of FSU's running back group that he did.

Grant spent his freshman season buried down the depth chart at running back, but found the field as a kick returner. His 247 kick return yards and average return of 22.5 yards both led the team in 2018.

Now, Grant is only an injury away from being the backup running back.

Even when Grant didn't make an impact on offense as a true freshman, he was impressing on the practice field.

Last season, FSU began each practice that was partially open to the media with its "Nole Drill," a three-level blocking drill which asks running backs to weave through three sets of blockers in a small area between sets of cones.

Grant excelled at finding the hole, no matter how small, more than any other FSU back in this drill. His ability to make something out of nothing in a cramped space stood out.

While FSU's line may be somewhat improved, it won't magically become good overnight. As such, Grant's ability in space could make him a major asset as he enters the season as the Seminoles' third-string running back but could still see playing time.

Other Position Previews

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Florida State vs. Boise State

When: August 31, 7 p.m.

Where: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville

TV/Radio: ESPN/103.1 FM