Florida State Fall Camp Observations: Practice 17
The Seminoles were back on the practice field on Wednesday morning for the final week of preseason camp. This is the point where the dog days of camp begin to settle in as Florida State begins to peek around the corner towards its season-opener against Duquesne. That was evident at times throughout the practice.
NoleGameday was in attendance for the session and we've listed some observations from different position groups and players below.
READ MORE: Former Florida State quarterback commit makes pledge to SEC program
— The Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals had representatives viewing practice.
— Preseason camp is nearing its conclusion and you can tell the Seminoles are ready to hit someone other than themselves. This practice got a little sloppy at certain points and head coach Mike Norvell challenged his team to respond to the adversity.
Offense:
— Wide receivers Ontaria Wilson and Mycah Pittman each came away with the catch of the day on Wednesday morning. Both plays were similar, as Wilson and Pittman snagged a pass over the middle that barely touched their fingertips. It was impressive to see the concentration to reel in a ball that was slightly off target.
— Quarterback Jordan Travis had a decent day overall. He was dealing early in practice and at times during team drills. Travis connected with Wyatt Rector on a wide-open pass just minutes after practice began. His best throw of the day was a beautifully placed ball down the sideline that hit Lawrance Toafili over the shoulder. Unfortunately, Toafili wasn't able to catch the pass but the precision was on point.
— Snapping is still an issue every now and then but that's to be expected with players working at center that haven't primarily played the position throughout their career. The consistency seems to be improving by the practice and that can be credited to the work that the centers and quarterbacks have been putting in before and after every session.
— Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made an absolutely filthy misdirection move to leave defensive back Kevin Knowles in the dust during one on ones. The play drew a noticeable reaction from the coaching staff and wide receivers.
— Wide receiver Johnny Wilson scored back-to-back touchdowns on his two reps in one on ones. He had a slight push-off on the first but it wasn't called. The defensive back in coverage was pleading for a flag to be thrown to no avail.
— Julian Armella and Jazston Turnetine had impressive reps during offensive line and defensive line one on ones.
— Running back Lawrance Toafili busted a run late in practice where he found room on the left side and no one was in a position to make a play. Toafili had his moments on Wednesday morning and has been impressive throughout the last week.
Defense:
— Interior defensive linemen Joshua Farmer and Fabien Lovett clogged up the line of scrimmage to stop a running play before it even got started early in practice. Later in the session, Farmer had a dominant rep in one on ones against a veteran offensive lineman.
— Defensive tackle Fabien Lovett and linebacker Tatum Bethune combined for a stop on Jordan Travis that would've been a big hit during live action.
— Defensive end Leonard Warner fought off an offensive tackle and found a hole in the offense to record a tackle for loss.
— Linebacker Amari Gainer stood out for the second straight day. He filled a hole and popped Treshaun Ward during team drills for one of the more audible hits of the day. Gainer added a sack just a few plays later.
— True freshman defensive tackle Daniel Lyons recorded a sack in team drills. Lyons busted through the line and made a great play to get to the quarterback. A nice flash from the newcomer.
— Another true freshman that stood out on Wednesday morning was defensive back Azareye’h Thomas. He made multiple plays throughout the morning recording a couple PBUs and tackles. He’s been a star since arriving in the spring and he’s continuing to get better as fall camp gets close to ending.
— Two defensive backs recorded interceptions on Wednesday; Renardo Green and Shyheim Brown. Green’s interception stood out as he played the ball perfectly and read what the quarterback was giving him being able to bite on the ball and take off with the takeaway.
— Defensive back Greedy Vance nearly joined Green and Brown with an interception. He made an exceptional read to undercut a wide receiver screen but the ball bounced off his hands. Regardless, Vance was in position to make something happen.
— Freshman linebacker Omar Graham Jr. had an impressive PBU on the running back being in great coverage. The staff thinks very highly of the young defender and continues to develop throughout camp.
— Fabien Lovett, Joshua Farmer, Jared Verse, Daniel Lyons, and Bishop Thomas with big efforts for the defense in one on ones against the offensive line.
— Lyons beat fellow true freshman Antavious Woody decisively on his first rep. On the second rep, Lyons tried a different move and Woody was able to get the best of him. Lyons smacked Woody on the helmet for a good rep and the Alabama native responded with a tap of his own. Nice work from two newcomers.
— Defensive tackle Bishop Thomas finished off the one on ones with a dominant rush that showed off his physicality at the point of attack. Veterans such as Robert Cooper, Fabien Lovett, Derrick McClendon and even Jared Verse, surrounded Thomas after the play to give him some love.
READ MORE: Former Florida State defensive back lands in Big Ten
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout fall camp.
