Watch Mike Norvell Respond to Issue with FSU Players
Florida State is preparing for its first scrimmage of fall camp, coming up tomorrow evening. Scrimmages are invaluable evaluation and teaching tools; as tight end Camren McDonald put it, "iron sharpens iron." Of course, ostensibly, scrimmages involve a team split, playing against itself. That'll be the case for the Seminoles in Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night-- but does it also reflect the state of the 'Nole locker room?
That was the big question surrounding the team heading into today's coaches and players media availability session, after yesterday's apparent rift between some players and the program regarding COVID-19 concerns.
Head coach Mike Norvell was asked about the issue, specifically if he'd spoken with the players involved, and his response was quite curt: "No. I haven't."
Next question.
The topic was revisited later, as Norvell was asked if his team was still on the same page. Again, he opted for brevity: "This team is on the same page. That's where I'll leave it."
With regard to actual football, Norvell said the team worked situationally today, and that would also be a point of emphasis in Saturday's scrimmage. Specifically, he mentioned overtime and third-down scenarios, as well as two-minute drills. Norvell also said the "defense was dominant today," and said that he's "really excited about what [he's] seeing from [their] specialists."
On offense, Norvell spoke about the quarterback competition, mentioning his two freshmen, Chubba Purdy and Tate Rodemaker, first: "The two freshmen are coming along . . . absolutely embracing this process."
