FSU Football Fall Camp Observations: Offense Responds With Big Plays During Second Practice
Preseason camp is now in full swing and August will be a busy month for the Seminoles. The team returned to the practice fields on Friday for their second session of the fall. The offense responded with big plays through the air and on the ground but the defense was able to come up with a couple of turnovers.
Friday marked the final day for Florida State until the pads come on. That means we'll see the physicality continue to pick up as the team dons shells for the first time on Saturday evening.
NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire practice and jotted down some observations from the opening day of camp.
— Florida State put a large emphasis on special teams throughout Friday's practice. Roughly a quarter of the day or maybe even more of it was spent on that phase of the game.
— From our vantage point, the Seminoles didn't take any live field goal reps today so the battle continues into the weekend. Tyler Keltner did make a kick from 35 yards during tempo drills. Both kickers remain perfect in live reps during camp.
OFFENSE:
— It wasn't perfect but the quarterbacks were in more of a rhythm throughout Friday's practice. I noticed AJ Duffy standing behind Jordan Travis in certain drills and trying to mirror his movements, footwork, and release.
— If healthy, Darion Williamson is absolutely going to be a factor in Florida State's wide receiver room. He's immensely talented and has a ton of potential, as Mike Norvell has alluded to in the past. After an impressive grab yesterday, he caught a pass with the tips of his fingers on a ball that was thrown out in front of him on Friday. His play of the day was a leaping effort for a catch against true freshman Ja'Bril Rawls after failing to create much separation with multiple stutter steps.
— If you thought Markeston Douglas was going to go quietly into the night now that Jaheim Bell and Kyle Morlock are in Tallahassee, you were wrong. Biscuit entered fall camp with a chip on his shoulder and made countless plays on Friday. The highlight was a pass down the seam that Douglas hauled in with one hand. He had another big play during team drills on a connection with Tate Rodemaker.
— Johnny Wilson high-pointed a ball against Renardo Green on the sideline during 1-on-1s. He won his next rep against the veteran as well with a ball that was thrown late. Wilson bobbled the pass with Green on his hip but was able to recover to make the catch. There was one that got away from Wilson later in the day but it was a nice response after a slower practice on Thursday.
— Keon Coleman got the best of Fentrell Cypress again. He came down with a pass in a tight window that he bobbled slightly before reeling it in. Coleman also beat Greedy Vance during 1-on-1s.
— Hykeem Williams has made a couple of plays during the first two days. He beat Quindarrius Jones in 1-on-1 after a good opening step at the line of scrimmage. Williams also pulled down a deep ball from Brock Glenn during team drills that went for a big gain as Mike Norvell came running in to celebrate.
— It gets easy to forget about the burst Trey Benson has during practices since he normally wears the green non-contact jersey. It didn't matter today as Benson got through a hole on the left untouched and accelerated up the sideline. No defender was in position for a tag so Mike Norvell came running in from the middle of the field to make the tag himself.
— True freshman Samuel Singleton has some wheels. He had arguably the biggest play on the ground after taking a carry up the middle and bouncing outside for 40+ yards until a defender tagged him. The amount of athleticism on this offense is getting insane.
— Wide receiver Joshua Burrell has become somewhat of a forgotten man after missing the majority of last season and the spring with an injury. He trimmed up some over the offseason and has been very involved during the first two practices. Burrell made a couple of tough catches on Friday that drew praise from Norvell.
— Jackson West also missed most of the past year with an injury. He's another Seminole who has worked his way back and is showing positive signs early in camp. West is already moving very well laterally while getting back into the swing of things.
— Deuce Spann shook Azareye'h Thomas at the line of scrimmage for an easy catch in the middle of the field during 1-on-1's.
— The tools are all there for Destyn Hill to develop into something special. He'll have a chance to help the Seminoles on offense and special teams. Hill had a nice over-the-shoulder catch during 7-on-7 that highlighted his ball skills.
— Kentron has had a little bit of a quieter start to camp with an increased focus on new additions such as Coleman and Hill. He's still been sneakily solid and got some love from Norvell for working back to a pass with Thomas covering him.
— Goldie Lawrence put on the burners on a rep against Edwin Joseph to get in position for a catch.
DEFENSE:
— Linebacker Kalen DeLoach has had an active start to camp. He pulled down the lone interception during Thursday's practice and nearly got another one today. DeLoach read a short route from a tight end and was in position but couldn't quite haul in the pass.
— Though DeLoach couldn't capitalize, we did see two young players come away with picks in true freshman Quindarrius Jones and JUCO transfer Ashlynd Barker. Jones was in tight coverage on the sideline and tipped a pass to himself for an impressive play on the ball. Barker was simply in the right position on a ball that was thrown out too far in front of a receiver. He hauled it in right before going out of bounds.
— That wasn't the only two big plays of the day for Quindarrius Jones or Barker. Jones came running in and went leaping for a pass deflection near the line of scrimmage that drew a reaction from the defense. Barker closed quickly downfield for a deflection while covering Jaheim Bell in 1-on-1's.
— Jarrian Jones matched up with Keon Coleman and won his first battle with a pass deflection. Coleman drew pass interference on the next rep. Two talented players going at it.
— Once again, the combo of Jared Verse and Darrell Jackson is just too much for opposing offensive lines to handle. They both shed blocks and converged on a running back in what would've been a sizable collision on a live play. Verse was in position for a sack on Travis late in practice.
— Patrick Payton came flying off the edge during team drills to tag Jordan Travis for a sack before one play even got started.
— Fentrell Cypress II had a pass breakup while blanketing Kentron Poitier on the sideline in 1-on-1's.
— Kevin Knowles just looks more confident this preseason while working at the safety spot. Noticed Knowles and Adam Fuller having a lot of one-on-one conversations during the practice. He broke up a pass intended for Coleman that was nearly intercepted by Shyheim Brown.
— Daniel Lyons burst up the middle for a tackle for loss, getting by Keiondre Jones on the play. Lyons combined with veteran Dennis Briggs for a sack as well.
— Ayobami Tifase, another young defensive lineman, had some flashes too. He tagged Singleton for a stop right in the hole and swallowed up CJ Campbell late in the practice.
— Omar Graham stuck with Caziah Holmes on a play out of the backfield. He stayed glued to the running back as the ball arrived for an instant stop.
— Greedy Vance had a nice read to shut down a run from Samuel Singleton at the line of scrimmage.
— True freshman KJ Sampson appeared to sack Rodemaker during team drills as he was stepping up in the pocket.
— Good coverage by the defense forced the quarterback unit to tuck and run at least four times during 7-on-7 drills.
READ MORE: Destyn Hill Walks Into First Preseason Camp With Florida State After Years Of Waiting
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