Florida State Spring Camp Observations: Johnny Wilson Shines as Seminoles Cross Halfway Mark Of Camp
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Florida State's practice on Thursday was a heated one, and it wasn't just due to the scorching sun sitting in a sky that was abandoned by cloud cover. The Seminoles got after it during their eighth practice of the spring, showing no drop-off as the team prepared for its second scrimmage on Saturday morning. Head coach Mike Norvell came out of the day satisfied with the effort, noting that both sides of the ball had dominant sequences.
READ MORE: Nuggets from Florida State's First Scrimmage of the Spring
There might not have been a more dominant player on Thursday than wide receiver Johnny Wilson, who put on a prolific display from the beginning to the end of practice.
NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire practice and jotted down some observations from day eight of the spring.
— Jaheim Bell and Kalen DeLoach both got a lot of love from Mike Norvell and the coaching staff for their effort during the special teams portion of practice.
— Daily Kicking Update: Ryan Fitzgerald had an attempt from 39 yards out blocked by Patrick Payton. He connected on his kick from roughly 47 yards out. Tyler Keltner attempted kicks from the same distance and was good on both attempts. Fitzgerald also knocked one in during tempo drills and towards the end of practice.
OFFENSE:
— As usual, Florida State started off practice with 11-on-11 work during two-minute/tempo drills. On this day, it was the offense who went to work out of the gate as Jordan Travis went play-action before throwing a pass back from across his body to Johnny Wilson. It was a dart that was in the right spot for the massive wide receiver. On the ensuing play, Travis placed a perfect ball into Wilson's outstretched hands on the outside for a play that would've been a touchdown during a game.
— That marked the beginning of a prolific day for Wilson as he put together arguably his most impressive practice of spring camp. He showed off his length by hauling in a pass over the middle during third-down work that would've been too high for any other receiver on the roster. Wilson caught another tough ball for a touchdown during one on ones with a defender on his back. He continued his big day in team drills as he got open in the middle of the field, and Travis delivered a strike for a huge gain. Wilson is no longer relying on just his athleticism and size. You can see the finetuning as a route-runner beginning to pay off.
— Tate Rodemaker's first pass during two-minute/tempo drills was off-target to Jaheim Bell. However, he fooled the defense on the next play and kept the ball to the left side for a gain of nearly 30 yards. Rodemaker's next pass was punched out by true freshman Demarco Ward.
— Noticed Darius Washington getting more of a look at center after Casey Roddick struggled with a couple of snaps back during Tuesday's practice. With Washington at center, Bless Harris earned some reps at left tackle. The versatility on the offensive line is an aspect that could be huge as Alex Atkins searches for the right combination.
— Winston Wright was active on the day. He caught a screen pass and showed quick burst upfield before getting tagged by Travis Jay. Wright got popped by a defender during 7-on-7 but immediately popped up. A good sign to see as he continues to work his way back.
— It's hard to get much of a feel for Trey Benson during most practices due to the green no-contact jersey. He did catch a pass out of the backfield for a third-down conversion to provide a boost for the offense
— Rodemaker connected with a pair of true freshmen - Hykeem Williams and Vandrevius Jacobs - for back-to-back third-down conversions during the middle of the practice. This was one of Hykeem's more consistent days of the spring while Jacobs continued to do what he does. Jacobs had a battle with Fentrell Cypress II where he used a cheeky push-off to get space before going up and catching the ball. Cypress swatted it out as Jacobs came down with it, making a debate over whether the pass was an incompletion or fumble.
— Glenn connected with Williams and Jacobs on back-to-back passes during 7-on-7. The pass to Jacobs was hauled in by the true freshman despite multiple defenders in the area.
— Deuce Spann had an extremely difficult catch during 1-on-1's with Jarrian Jones over him. Despite the ball being slightly off-target, Spann used strong hands to pull it in.
— Kyle Morlock brought down at least one contested catch.
— Tight end Brian Courtney worked inside of Travis Jay to get open for a pass. The ball was too far out in front of him, but Courtney reached out to grab it with his fingertips.
— Jaheim Bell was consistently getting free during 1-on-1 and 7-on-7.
— Markeston Douglas, Ja'Khi Douglas, Deuce Spann, Jimmy Casey, Jerrale Powers, and Kentron Poitier all caught touchdowns during goal line 1-on-1s.
— Rodney Hill caught a touchdown out of the backfield from Rodemaker. A play earlier, Rodemaker hit a walk-on for a score as well.
— Lawrance Toafili and Caziah Holmes were both able to get into open space and drive a couple of runs into the secondary.
DEFENSE:
— Defensive end Patrick Payton has been one of the standouts for Florida State this spring, and that continued on Thursday. We mentioned the blocked field goal but he was consistently handling his business throughout the day. Patrick drove back his matchup time and time again in run-fit drills and also looked solid in team drills.
— Rangy cornerback Azareye'h Thomas intercepted true freshman Brock Glenn early in 7-on-7. I believe that's the first interception for Glenn during camp, who was the last quarterback to commit a turnover this spring. Thomas read the play off the snap and was in perfect position.
— Joshua Farmer put an offensive lineman into the dirt while working in run-fit drills. He also batted a pass down at the line of scrimmage that went as a turnover on downs against the offense before getting his hands on another pass later in practice.
— Darrell Jackson matched Farmer with a batted-down pass of his own. He makes it tough on the offensive line every rep that he's on the field.
— Jarrian Jones came up short despite tight coverage on Deuce Spann during 1-on-1s. He responded on his next rep by knocking away a ball for a pass deflection.
— Quindarrius Jacobs came away with a pass deflection while defending Johnny Wilson in the end zone. Not the easiest of assignments for a true freshman, but he made a play.
— Renardo Green locked up Hykeem Williams after the early enrollee made a couple of plays. A savvy veteran move by Green to blanket Williams.
— Kalen DeLoach knocked out a pass that was intended for a tight end.
— Stephen Dix made two really nice plays in space on Thursday. He stopped a running back out of the backfield before laying out Rodney Hill on his next reps. Encouraging signs as Dix works his way back from a shoulder injury suffered last season.
— Redshirt freshman Omar Graham got some praise from the coaching staff after sticking with Trey Benson out of the backfield.
— DJ Lundy laid out Jaheim Bell late in practice.
— Akeem Dent dropped an interception that hit him directly in the chest toward the end of practice.
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