Florida State pushes 2023 DE Wilky Denaud during Big Man Camp

Camp season is beginning at Florida State this month. Last weekend, the Seminoles hosted an Elite Camp and Mega Camp to kick off the slate. That continued into this week as the coaching staff held its first of three Big Man Camps and 7-on-7 competitions.

While the session on Wednesday didn't include a massive group of prospects, there were some talented players in attendance, including 2023 defensive end target, Wilky Denaud.

Head coach Mike Norvell, defensive line coach Odell Haggins, and defensive ends coach John Papuchis paid a lot of attention to Denaud throughout the afternoon. He felt like they pushed him to his limits during the workout.

"Just getting back up here is always fun. I felt like I got better today," Denaud said. "Something coach Norvell always preaches to me is are you better than yesterday? I feel like I was better than yesterday. Just getting to work with some of the coaches out here, they pushed me out here, pushed me to my limits. There was adversity I had to fight through."

In particular, coach Haggins got after Denaud a few times, making him repeat drills for not sprinting through the line. At the same time, Haggins praised him during one on ones and pulled Denaud to the side to give him tips.

"He wants the best for me, he wants me to be great and that's what it takes, me getting yelled at," Denaud said. "It's only going to make me work harder."

One of the best matchups of the day was watching Denaud battle with UCF offensive tackle commitment, Jamal Meriweather. Both players won their fair share of reps and Denaud felt like he lived up to the competition.

"I definitely showed my strength in the run block," Denaud said. "I felt like I held my ground pretty good."

Following the workout, Florida State's coaching staff put the Florida native through a series of athletic tests, including the 40-yard dash and shuttle run. Coach Norvell pulled Denaud to the side afterwards and asked him one question.

"Yesterday I'm in his office and he says, 'when you come out here, you're only pushing yourself. At the end of the day, it's did you feel like you got better than yesterday?' And he asked me that at the end of the workout. He asked me did I get better than yesterday? And I absolutely did. I got 100% better than I did yesterday."

Wednesday marked the second straight day that Denaud was on campus as he took an unofficial visit with his high school team, John Carroll, on Tuesday. He's been to Florida State three times since the Seminoles extended him an offer in February.

"I got to meet the staff again," Denaud said. "I brought my high school with me so they got to visit too. That's part of the game with me, I take my family wherever I go."

Something that stands out about Florida State is the energy they put on display whenever Denaud is on campus. Assistant Director of High School Relations, Keiwan Ratliff, always shows him a lot of love.

"Every time I came through there, they're energetic and excited to see me," Denaud said. "Coach Rat, he's always going to show love because he's from down where I'm at. I feel like the energy was good today."

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end has upcoming unofficial visits to Auburn and Alabama. Following that, he'll be looking to plan official visits during gamedays this fall with the goal to commit later in the process. The Seminoles continue to be among Denaud's top choices.

"They still stand pretty high on the list," Denaud said. "Then again, I also want to give other schools an option to see me."

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the summer.

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