FSU Football Fall Camp Observations: 'Noles Wrap Up Preseason Under The Lights In Doak

The lights are on, the rock is broken, and the 2023 season is officially ready to commence. There are only a couple of days remaining until Florida State kicks off a top-10 matchup against LSU in Orlando after the team wrapped up preseason camp in Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night.

Originally scheduled to be a shorter practice, the night went on for 30+ minutes than expected in what was a physical session in full pads. There was a significant focus on specific situations as Florida State went through two-minute drills, goal-line work, and third downs.

Next up is the first game week of the year for the Seminoles. NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire session on Saturday night and jotted down some observations from the day.

— There was a noticeable level of intensity from head coach Mike Norvell and the coaching staff throughout practice. They were constantly pushing the Seminoles from the beginning to end of the session to go full speed and use each opportunity as a game rep.

— The kickers ended the preseason on a high note. Tyler Keltner and Ryan Fitzgerald each connected on attempts from 30 yards and 43 yards out. It'll be interesting to see who tops the depth chart on Monday morning.

— Deuce Spann, Trey Benson, Caziah Holmes, Destyn Hill, Winston Wright Jr., and Caziah Holmes were all taking reps on kickoff return.

— Keon Coleman had a really nice move on a punt return where he cut across the wide side of the field for a massive game.

OFFENSE:

— Florida State went through a two-minute situation early in practice that ended up turning into a back-and-forth battle between the offense and defense. It provided us with our first taste of crowd noise this preseason, leading to a false start on the very first play.

Quarterback Jordan Travis hit Hykeem Williams twice to get the drive started before being sacked by defensive end Jared Verse, who beat offensive tackle Bless Harris off the edge. Verse closed in on the ensuing snap, forcing a throw-away and putting the offense in third and long.

It didn't matter as Travis delivered a rope to the sideline to Winston Wright Jr. just over the outstretched hands of a defender. Travis tossed another dime to the opposite side of the field on the next play but it was dropped in the end zone. He went deep for the third consecutive throw on the drive, lobbing a contested pass to Keon Coleman, who boxed out a defensive back before making a vertical catch.

The completion moved the offense inside the five but the defense responded by standing tall at the end of the drill to prevent a score.

— I feel like Tate Rodemaker has responded pretty well to the competition that Brock Glenn and AJ Duffy have delivered throughout camp. He's been solid throughout the last couple of practices, flashing at times on Saturday, including a timing route with Markeston Douglas where the throw was delivered right as the tight end reared his head around to the ball.

— Quarterback AJ Duffy stepped up in the pocket with pressure bearing down on him and scrambled out to the sideline for a touchdown. He connected with Morlock on the next play for a score and also hit a streaking Destyn Hill in the end zone during 1-on-1's.

— Hykeem Williams was active throughout the practice, consistently getting in position to make plays. He's been strong the last week and change.

— Vandrevius Jacobs came down with a deep ball from Rodemaker that somehow got by cornerback Quindarrius Jones. The true freshman defensive back responded later in practice by forcing a turnover.

— Tight end Preston Daniel made an impressive grab on a vertical effort while matched up against Tatum Bethune in 1-on-1's.

— True freshman wide receiver Goldie Lawrence might have had the catch of the night, coming down with a ball in the end zone between two defensive backs on a throw from Duffy. The play drew reactions from players on both sides of the ball.

— Tight end Kyle Morlock caught a pass over the middle in 7-on-7 and seemed to ease up like the play was over. Bethune didn't give up on the play and knocked the ball out before recovering it himself. Morlock came back on the next play for a catch to respond to the mistake.

— Kentron Poitier came down with a catch while working back to a pass in 7-on-7. He had another grab where the ball initially deflected off his hands but he tracked it to secure the reception.

DEFENSE:

— It was a very good practice for veteran cornerback Renardo Green, highlighting what has been a consistent preseason through battles with Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman. Green had a nice deflection in scout team work before picking off a pass off a ball that was deflected into the air. Mike Norvell came running after him to celebrate. Green nearly picked off another pass in 7-on-7 after undercutting a route.

— Cornerback Greedy Vance also flashed on Saturday with his instincts in coverage. Vance made a diving effort to deflect a pass that was thrown outside to Winston Wright in third-down work. Vance got his hands on another pass in 1-on-1's before preventing a completion in the end zone.

— True freshman cornerback Quindarrius Jones had a couple of exciting reps against Vandrevius Jacobs. The wide receiver got the better of him on their first match-up but Jones came back with a strong effort where he positioned himself in front of Jacobs and picked off a pass in the end zone.

— Tatum Bethune forced and recovered a fumble.

— I praised DJ Lundy's improvement in pass coverage earlier in camp but he provided the best example of his development on Saturday night. Lundy was absolutely glued to tight end Jaheim Bell on a route over the middle of the field. Once the ball went into the air, Lundy undercut Bell and nearly intercepted the pass. My words don't do the play enough justice.

— Defensive end Byron Turner Jr. came away with a sack on a play where the offense tried to get tricky.

— There aren't many people that can guard the 6-foot-7 Johnny Wilson but sophomore Azareye'h Thomas has been up for the challenge. Wilson tried to go vertical with a catch in the end zone, utilizing all of his frame. Thomas met him at the apex and knocked him out for what turned out to be an impressive display of competitive instincts.

— I mentioned the impact of Jared Verse as a pass-rusher earlier in the observations. He was also active in the running game, exploding off the line of scrimmage to tag a running back right as they received the handoff. Verse looks to be moving as well as he ever has since arriving at Florida State.

— Justin Cryer had a smart play where he took a good angle to take down a running back for a tackle for loss.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season

Follow NoleGameday on Twitter and Facebook