Florida State's John Papuchis Praises Growth of Marvin Jones Jr. and Patrick Payton This Preseason

With the loss of Jared Verse to the NFL, the 'Noles are set to reload at the defensive end position.

The Florida State Seminoles wrapped up practice No. 17 on Wednesday as the end of fall camp nears and the 2024 season quickly approaches. A major emphasis on what the 2024 Seminole team is going to look like come August 24 when they open ACC play against Georgia Tech will be who will step up and fill the void left by Jared Verse, who was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft after last season.

To say 'by comittee' wouldn't be fair because Florida State usually has five or six guys ready to keep players fresh late in games but an All-American talent like Verse left big shoes to fill.

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"I've been really pleased with their work, their approach to it. You know, it's a veteran group, even though a lot of the faces might be new to people in our fan base," Papuchis said to the media after Wednesday's session. "But the guys who are our four top guys right now, they've played a lot of football, so they've approached our work with a real veteran attitude. There's great competition. I've been really pleased with the consistency, the work ethic, and the approach they've brought to this fall camp."

One of those newcomers is Georgia transfer Marvin Jones, Jr., who came in as a highly sought after prospect in the offseason. After having a remarkable spring camp and going through summer conditioning, he was sidelined for a bit due to injury but has since returned to full strength.

"Marvin really finished his spring well. I thought he had a good summer. I was a little bit disappointed for him that he was kind of limited in those first eight or nine practices, but since he's been back, he kind of picked up where he left off. I don't really see any drop-off, and I don't see any nagging injury with him. He's playing fast, he's playing hard, and I like what I see out of Marvin to this point."

Another new face will be Sione Lolohea who transferred in from Oregon State. He recorded 88 tackles, including 15 for loss with four sacks, 13 quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery during his time with the Beavers.

"I think the room kind of complements each other. Sione is a big, physical, tough presence, especially in the run game," Papuchis continued. "He has the pass-rush ability, obviously, but what he really brings is the ability to change up the physicality we can have at that end spot, especially against the run. I like what he's done so far; he's a great person and a great worker."

2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Payton, who had 44 tackles, 14 for a loss, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles last year alone, is a lock for a starting role. However, Payton doesn't seem to see it that way, and Papuchis said that he works as if he is a backup trying to earn the starting job. With players like Verse gone, it is his room to take ownership of, and he is doing just that.

"Pat, I think there are two elements that I've been really proud of Pat's growth and development. Number one is that he's working as if he's a backup. When he's out there, he's trying to be the best version of himself. He's not looking at it as 'I've already established my role in this program and just going to get through camp'—he's working," Papuchis continued. "Secondly, he's taking on a leadership role within the unit, which is something he's never really been asked to do before because of some of the other guys who were in the room. But now, it's his room."

The Seminoles will need a strong defensive front to hold off Georgia Tech's talented rushing attack and mobile quarterback Haynes King. Florida State has the defense to get the job done and it has been a major emphasis on how the defense as a whole has been preparing for the Yellow Jackets.

"You always have to respect a team whose head coach has an offensive line background. You can tell the emphasis is going to be that they're going to establish the run game. They're good at it," Papuchis said. "They have the stretch schemes, the gap schemes, the counters, and the quarterback run element off of it. So, you have to be really aware of your role, your responsibility, and doing your job. That's been the major point of emphasis for our guys as we started our preparation for them and how we're going to defend the run. We know it's going to be a challenge, but I think our guys are very excited about that challenge."

Papuchis' full interview can be seen below.

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