Florida State Fall Camp Observations: Practice Five
In this story:
Florida State returned to the practice field on Monday morning for its fifth practice of fall camp. The Seminoles are officially a quarter of the way through camp.
NoleGameday was in attendance for the session and we've listed some observations from different position groups and players below.
READ MORE: First Day of Fall Camp Observations for Florida State
— Something interesting we thought to note. Prior to practice beginning, Dillan Gibbons has the offensive line come over to the sled and run through a few fundamental techniques before going into the IPF for stretches. This has been happening since the spring but it shows the leadership role Gibbons is taking.
— Running back Treshaun Ward kicked things off with a nice run to the outside for reach the pylon for six.
— Defensive end Pat Payton made a great move in team drills to get after the quarterback for a sack. He’s had a consistent camp of finding the backfield.
— Defensive tackle Fabien Lovett shows how powerful he is by exploding through the middle and getting to the backfield. His strength is almost unstoppable at times.
— Tatum Bethune finds a hole and tags Ward for what would've been a tackle for loss. He's continued to impress after groin surgery over the summer.
— Center Maurice Smith had a great one on one rep against defensive tackle Robert Cooper, holding his ground and keeping a good block on a heavy rush by Cooper. A nice day overall from Smith as he battles with Kayden Lyles for that starting job.
— Defensive back Demorie Tate came away with a nice interception on Monday morning which would have been a pick-6 in regular game play. The secondary goes to celebrate with him.
— Quarterback AJ Duffy may be finding a groove five days now into fall camp. Duffy has found more confidence in throwing and it’s resulting in big plays. Duffy hit running back Lawrance Toafili for a 50-yard touchdown right on the money in stride. Coach Norvell goes and gives him a tap on the helmet showing some love. Later in practice Duffy found tight end Jackson West for six while in the redzone. You’re starting to see the freshman grow which is a great sign this early in camp.
— Safety Shyheim Brown was all over the field on Monday morning putting himself in the right positions. He recorded one interception but almost had two. Brown is someone to keep a very close eye on for the rest of camp to get in early rotation alongside Akeem Dent and Jammie Robinson.
— Defensive back Renardo Green had a major play in the red zone with a diving pass block to save a touchdown from happening. The play happened right in front of Norvell and the head man was fired up showing love. A wild athletic play by a fully healthy Green. Later in the day Green caught an interception in the end zone while in the air and the defense went crazy. A phenomenal practice for No. 8.
— True freshman Kanaya Charlton had a few good reps against fellow true freshman Daniel Lyons in one on ones. Charlton has made strides with his physical development and that's carried over into fall camp.
— True freshman defensive tackle Ayobami Tifase is going to be a monster. He was giving a couple of scholarship offensive linemen fits on Monday. Once he gets his technique down, watch out.
— True freshman Azareye'h Thomas pulled down another interception in practice. He's forced four turnovers in the last two days. Defensive backs coach Woodson is excited to see if his progress continues when the pads go on.
READ MORE: Practice observations from day three
— Lloyd Willis and Rod Orr are showing some signs. Willis looks much more technically sound while Orr seems to be growing in confidence. On one play, Orr advanced to the second level to block a linebacker that sprung CJ Campbell for a touchdown.
— True freshman Rodney Hill continues to impress. He got a lot of attention from Norvell during the practice. Towards the end of the session, he cut up the leftside for one of the easiest touchdowns of the day.
Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout fall camp.
