Florida State vs. Georgia Tech: Monday Practice Observations For The Seminoles

The energy was up during Florida State's first practice of game week.

Game week is fully underway in Tallahassee with only a few days remaining until Florida State and Georgia Tech match up in Ireland. It was evident as soon as the Seminoles arrived for practice on Monday morning that the energy was cranked up a notch with the team ready for the season opener.

It was a competitive day with both sides of the ball making plays and flashing competitiveness. The offense hit a few big ones but we also saw some of the same inconsistency that plagued the unit at times in fall camp. When they get into a rhythm, the offense has a chance to be very good but there could certainly be some lulls too.

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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 Buffalo Bills had a representative viewing practice.

— Ryan Fitzgerald connected from 45 yards to cap off a successful drive early in practice. He was pure from 32 and 45 yards in the special teams period with Jake Weinberg matching him from those distances.

OFFENSE:

— Solid practice overall from DJ Uiagalelei. I thought there were probably a few too many balls that ended up on the ground but much of that could be attributed to some drops by the wide receivers. Uiagalelei delivered a perfect throw to Lawrance Toafili on the sideline, which dropped right over the shoulder during team drills. I'm not sure he could've put it in a better spot. Uiagalelei connected on another big play in the middle of the field to Jalen Brown with the redshirt freshman making a heck of a catch that had the offense celebrating afterward. He showed off his vision late in the day by keeping his eyes downfield and eventually finding Kyle Morlock working over the middle.

— I thought Jalen Brown was really good. He snagged just about everything that came his way, including the explosive deep play we mentioned above. Brown is ascending ahead of his first game in garnet and gold.

— Another good practice from Ja'Khi Douglas. He made an extremely tough catch in 1-on-1's with Kevin Knowles all over him. On his next rep, Douglas accelerated out off the snap and ran a shifty route where he lost the defensive back who was trying to cover him.

— Felt like one of the better days that we've seen from Darion Williamson this fall. He was consistently creating separation and didn't have many passes goe through his hands. Williamson had a physical rep in 1-on-1's where he got free deep but the pass was underthrown and allowed the defensive back to get into position to make a play on the ball. That didn't deter Williamson, who simply plucked it away for a massive gain. His size and speed certainly showed up on Monday.

— Landen Thomas caught a pass in space on the sideline and was able to turn it into a little extra before going out of bounds.

— Kam Davis had a couple of solid runs on Monday but what caught my attention was his blocking effort on a carry for another running back. Davis sealed off Blake Nichelson with his strength and opened up room for Roydell Williams.

— Elijah Moore is just so smooth. That's probably why he's only one of two true freshmen who arrived this summer to make Florida State's opening depth chart - the other is kicker Jake Weinberg. Moore made it look easy in 1-on-1's with a grab over the middle and followed that up with a couple of other catches in team drills.

— Amaree Williams is still making plays. He exploded by Conrad Hussey in 1-on-1's for a touchdown. Williams also had another blocking effort that sent Preston Brady into a frenzy.

— Have a day, BJ Gibson. The true freshman is someone making the most of his reps and he's been coming on strong as of late. Gibson hauled in his daily deep ball on a throw from Luke Kromenhoek. I also saw him putting in some really good work on the scout team, which earned him props from defensive coordinator Adam Fuller. I think that shows the coaching staff is recognizing that he's progressing in the right direction even if the Seminoles don't expect him to play a major role this year.

— The Deuce got loose late in practice on a downfield throw where a defensive back fell in coverage. Spann brought in the pass and accelerated in the open field.

DEFENSE:

— Sione Lolohea had his fingers all over a possession early in practice. He crashed off the edge to bring down a running back for a tackle for loss to set the tone. On the next snap, Lolohea easily fought by an offensive tackle to put pressure on the quarterback and force a throw into the dirt. I'm excited to see what he brings on Saturday.

— Speaking of potentially exciting debuts, Marvin Jones Jr. is five days from his first game action at Florida State. His explosiveness and strength stood out on Monday. Jones Jr. quickly got into the backfield for a tackle for loss in team drills.

— Right place, right time for Edwin Joseph. A pass deflected off a wide receivers hands over the middle in 7-on-7 and the redshirt freshman came down with the tip for an interception.

— Cam Riley ended up with a similar turnover in the middle of the field. It looked like KJ Kirkland deflected a pass - which popped up into the air - and Riley snagged it.

— Not sure if you can call it a fumble recovery or interception but Azareye'h Thomas made a ridiculous play while covering Kentron Poitier in 1-on-1's. At least that's how Tommy described it to me because I happened to be looking down when it happened.

— Great play on the ball from Fentrell Cypress II in 7-on-7s. He stuck with Lawayne McCoy on a deep ball and won a vertical battle to bat it down and prevent a big play.

— Darrell Jackson swiftly stopped a running back with one arm on a carry up the middle. His wing span is ridiculous.

— Justin Cryer had a fantastic rep in coverage where he got his hands on a deep ball for a pass deflection. He's moving really well on passing downs.

— Aaron Hester kept working and his effort paid off with a sack late in practice. Luke Kromenhoek had nowhere to go and Hester was the beneficiary.

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