A day after losing their top offensive star and two days after a pair of defensive standouts bolted for the NFL, the Florida State Seminoles learned Thursday that they will at least keep around their special-teams ace one more season.
Kicker Roberto Aguayo will return to the Seminoles for his redshirt junior season, the school announced.
"After praying about it and talking with my parents, coaches and others I trust, I know that the best decision for me is to return to Florida State for another year," Aguayo said in the school's release. "I am more than excited to continue to build on the success we have had here at Florida State and I'm looking forward to continuing to improve next fall, to obtain my degree and to grow as a person."
ESPN NFL Draft Insider Mel Kiper Jr., who ranked Aguayo as the top specialist in the draft if he were to declare, speculated that the kicker could have been selected on Day 2 of the draft.
No specialist has been taken in the first two rounds since Mike Nugent was drafted No. 47 overall in 2005, and it's happened only twice since 1996. (FSU's Sebastian Janikowski went in the first round in 2000.)
A two-time AP All-America selection, Aguayo has converted 48 of his 52 field goal attempts and has yet to miss an extra point. His 92.3 field goal percentage ranks first in school history.
As a freshman, Aguayo won the Lou Groza Award as the nation's top kicker, missing only one field goal while setting an FBS record with 157 points. This past season, he made 27 of 30 kicks and again was a Groza finalist while converting a school-record 23 consecutive field goals spanning the two seasons.
"I'm very excited that Roberto has elected to come back to school," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said. "He's a big part of our Florida State family's success. I believe he has a chance to become arguably the best kicker in NCAA history, and we're very fortunate to have him. ... We're truly blessed to have him back."
Florida State also announced Thursday that two-year starting linebacker Terrance Smith will return next year for his redshirt senior season.
"Terrance is one of the leaders of our defense and he has a chance to be a very good professional as he continues to grow in his game," Fisher said. "His return is key to our defense and I'm very excited to have him a part of our program for another season."
Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston announced Tuesday he will forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the NFL draft, which followed Monday's announcements by defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. and cornerback P.J. Williams.
Cornerback Ronald Darby, meanwhile, announced on Thursday that he will leave school after his senior season to enter the draft, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Defensive tackle Eddie Goldman has yet to decide whether he'll pass on his senior season and declare for the draft.