Florida State vs. Boston College: Thursday Practice Observations For The Seminoles

The Seminoles are focused on the task at hand as they look to respond.

FSU Athletics

Florida State got back on the practice fields on Thursday morning with four days until Boston College travels to Tallahassee for the home opener on Labor Day. The Seminoles are working to respond after a disappointing performance last week that saw them drop to 0-1.

The energy was up and there was certainly some certain physicality with the sound of pads popping echoing around the IPF. Head coach Mike Norvell has been pleased with the energy over the last few days. He made it clear after practice that he's focused on keeping his team in the 'now' rather than looking ahead or behind.

READ MORE: Mike Norvell Provides Injury Updates On A Pair Of Florida State Seminoles

NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire session and we jotted down some observations from multiple position groups. Practice reports will be somewhat altered moving forward now that Florida State has entered the 2024 season.

— The Arizona Cardinals were among the NFL teams with representatives viewing practice.

— Ryan Fitzgerald is fully dialed in after his performance on Saturday. Practice reps are almost routine at this point as Fitzgerald connected on all four of his live attempts (35x2, 41, 42) from inside 45 yards. Jake Weinberg was pure from 42 yards out.

— I've got a rare punting note as well to continue the kicking trend, and it's not about Alex Mastromanno. Redshirt sophomore Mac Chiumento hit an absolute rocket in special teams' work that seemed to hang forever and traveled 60+ yards. Credit to true freshman Lawayne McCoy for tracking the long boot and fielding it.

— Destyn Hill was previously ruled out for the season by Mike Norvell but he's doing whatever he can to contribute in the meantime whether it's catching passes from the quarterbacks, jawing with the defense, or providing advice to other receivers. Hill joined Norvell for his pre-practice race on Thursday and the head coach loved it.

OFFENSE:

— I thought it was a pretty solid day for the quarterbacks. The unit did a good job of protecting the football, making smart decisions, and delivering to receivers. Uiagalelei hit Kyle Morlock with an accurate pass in the middle of the field and found Kentron Poitier on the sideline a few plays later. He came back with a strong throw to Jalen Brown before connecting with Morlock once again.

— Brock Glenn had his moments as well. He threw a perfect deep ball to Deuce Spann, who caught the pass in stride after getting a step on his defender. The rep came after an earlier pass to Spann where Glenn scanned the field and recognized his man was open near the sideline. He also tossed a nice touch throw to Jaylin Lucas in the middle of the field that resulted in a massive gain.

— Speaking of Lucas, he had quite the practice. Lucas went right up the middle early in the day and exploded into the secondary for a potential touchdown. What caught my attention, along with the speed from the running back, was Kentron Poitier making an effort downfield to block a safety which turned a big play into a scoring play. Lucas's explosiveness showed up again later on as he easily ran by a linebacker for a massive catch downfield. Mike Norvell mentioned he needs to get the running back more involved and he showed you why on Thursday.

— Active day for Jalen Brown. Multiple catches over the middle, including a few in tight coverage. On one rep, he showed off his catch radius by quickly positioning his hands over his head for a grab on pass that was thrown slightly too high.

— Kam Davis put together a few promising carries early in practice. He was able to find a decent amount of room up the middle and also caught a pass out of the backfield - a good sign after a drop last week.

— Tough catch for Darion Williamson over the middle. The ball was slightly behind him and was bobbled slightly as it arrived. Not to mention, Williamson took a shot from Edwin Joseph but still somehow finished the play as he went to the ground.

— Daily BJ Gibson big play. Gibson made a twisting grab downfield in 1-on-1's. He looks really confident after some stellar practices over the last two weeks.

— Landen Thomas ended up with a couple of grabs. Amaree Williams had an impressive catch in contested coverage.

— Tight end Brian Courtney pulled off a nice route, using his body to essentially wall off a defender while making the catch.

— Robert Scott had an extremely physical rep against Marvin Jones Jr. in 3-on-2's. Maurice Smith followed suit by putting a veteran defensive lineman on their back in 1-on-1's.

DEFENSE:

— The defensive backfield probably stood out the most among the defense on Thursday. High-level plays from all over led by pass deflections from Azareye'h Thomas and Fentrell Cypress II. Thomas's awareness stood out early to not get fooled by misdirection.

— Quindarrius Jones put his name into the mix with a couple of competitive reps that resulted in pass breakups. He tracked a throw to the sideline and popped the receiver to know the ball out. Jones prevented another completion on his next rep while defending a throw over the middle.

— Really good read and react from sophomore linebacker Blake Nichelson near the goal line. He recognized a run and got to the right spot, delivering a hit to stuff the runner short.

— The defensive front had some moments of physicality. These sequences remind you of the vast talent on the roster but the consistency has to keep improving. Darrell Jackson easily powered through a veteran offensive lineman to the delight of Odell Haggins. He combined with Patrick Payton for a quick tackle for loss later in the day. Payton worked through an offensive tackle off the edge for an instant sack in team drills. Farmer got in on a couple of run stuffs.

— Noted Cam Riley around the ball often early, resulting in back-to-back tackles on a running back.

— Daniel Lyons tossed an offensive lineman aside in 3-on-2's.

— Ja'Bril Rawls put in good work in run support.

— Edwin Joseph recovered and deflected a deep ball late in practice.

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READ MORE: Florida State's Loss To Georgia Tech Brings In Massive National Audience

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