FSU Football Fall Camp Observations: Defense Dominates, Lawayne McCoy Flashes

The Seminoles are closing in on their first scrimmage of the preseason.

Florida State was back on the practice field on Thursday morning following a day off. The Seminoles wore full pads for the second consecutive session as the defense displayed moments of dominance. The highlights included interceptions on all three of the team's starting quarterbacks.

The offense did put together a couple of splash plays but it was certainly one of their sloppier outings. True freshman wide receiver Lawayne McCoy was really good, a bright spot on the day.

READ MORE: Defending Conference Champion Florida State Tops ACC Preseason Poll

NoleGameday was in attendance for the session and we've listed some observations from different position groups and players below.

— The Detroit Lions had a scout watching practice. A bunch of NFL teams have come through over the past few days.

— Perfect kicking day from Ryan Fitzgerald and Jake Weinberg. Fitzgerald was good from 31 yards out while Weinberg connected on a 48-yard attempt.

— True freshman tight end Amaree Williams was highlighted during the special teams period for his blocking effort. Opening up room for the return man to get free, Mike Norvell and tight ends assistant Preston Brady came flying in after the play. Williams is making a case to earn early playing time.

— The punting unit worked on pinning kicks inside the five. Ja'Khi Douglas and Fentrell Cypress II both had good reps where they got in position to stop the ball at the 1.

OFFENSE:

— It was an up-and-down day for the quarterbacks as a whole with the defense making a lot of competitive plays. Once again, you saw the arm get into a rhythm for DJ Uiagalelei as he found Kyle Morlock crossing to the sideline on a nice throw. He sensed pressure and climbed the pocket in team drills, delivering a pass to Malik Benson in a good spot in contested coverage, giving the receiver a chance to make a play (and he did). Uiagalelei's best throw was a rocket where he found himself under pressure in the pocket, electing to fire deep while slightly on the move. The pass hit Ja'Khi Douglas in stride with multiple defenders in the area.

— Brock Glenn connected with Kyle Morlock on a throw over the middle of the field. He also found Lawayne McCoy with a lofty throw near the sideline that the true freshman hauled in while keeping a foot inbounds. Glenn got loose on a keeper later in practice, gaining enough room for a conversion on a third-down attempt.

— Luke Kromenhoek has found his deep ball. He's good for at least one big play a practice with his favorite target as of late being fellow true freshman BJ Gibson. Once again, Gibson got loose in 1-on-1's and Kromenhoek hit him with a dime for a touchdown. He threw another long pass later in the period that hit Camdon Frier in a perfect spot but Charles Lester III kept fighting to break it up.

— Have a day, Lawayne McCoy. The true freshman was outstanding from the beginning to end of practice, with Mike Norvell calling the effort "a great step". He made a tough catch for the third straight session on Thursday, contorting his body and turning back to the football to make a play on the sideline with a defensive back draped all over him. McCoy followed that up with multiple routes where he created space and found room in the middle of the field. There was a pass that went off his hands late in the day but he responded by pulling in his next one. McCoy had a really competitive rep with Azareye'h Thomas in 1-on-1's, almost snagging a pass with one hand. He's trending upward.

— Better practice from Malik Benson after drops plagued him a little on Monday and Tuesday. Benson made a contested catch with Azareye'h Thomas in close coverage in team drills. He had a tough grab near the sideline as well that was reminiscent to what he was doing back in the spring. It's great to see him stay engaged in plays where the football doesn't go his way.

— Jalen Brown ran a really nice route in 1-on-1's, creating space against Charles Lester III for a catch. He got moving laterally in team drills, ultimately cutting upfield and using some of his speed for a big play.

— Another solid practice from true freshman tight end Amaree Williams. He beat a defensive back downfield for a grab, earning a shout out from Mike Norvell, "good Amaree, good job!" Williams has consistently popped up in the tight end room.

— Kyle Morlock continues to do his thing as a receiver. Good route-running and catching on Thursday. I did notice a play where Sione Lolohea easily powered through him to stuff a run. Blocking still a work in progress.

— Samuel Singleton is still running tough. He collided with defensive tackle Daniel Lyons as soon as he took a handoff in team drills. Singleton powered through the attempted tackle to turn a possible loss into a short gain.

— Micahi Danzy got loose a few times on Thursday. He had a nice run where the speed sprung him loose. Danzy also got wide-open out of the backfield for a catch that turned into a touchdown. Promising signs from the true freshman.

— Fellow newcomer Kam Davis had a big run of his own down the sideline. The big running back was swiftly eating up yards in the open field. What caught my eye, however, was defensive end Patrick Payton pursuing Davis all the way to the end zone despite starting the play on the backside of the field.

— A couple of catches for Elijah Moore, including one on a shifty route over the middle where he got a step on his defender.

— Jackson West showed up a few times. He came down with a tough catch while working back to the football, taking a hit as the ball was delivered. His blocking is going to be useful for the Seminoles in 2024, evidenced by a play where he walled off a defender and helped Kam Davis find room up the middle.

— Jerrale Powers exploded by Christian White in 1-on-1's and caught a deep ball as he fell to the ground.

— Jacob Rizy had a dominate rep in 1-on-1's where he pancaked Tomiwa Durojaiye. The offensive line was pretty solid for the most part in the drill.

— Walk-on wide receiver Willy Suarez ran a nice route over the middle in 1-on-1's to get free for a catch.

— Walk-on running back Jeremiah Johnson caught a pass out of the backfield and found a little space on a run up the middle. He's the brother of former FSU star and New York Jets Pro Bowler, Jermaine Johnson II.

DEFENSE:

— Probably Cam Riley's most complete practice since the preseason began last week. I felt like he was very impactful in the running game while standing out in pass coverage as well. Riley ended up picking off DJ Uiagalelei and taking it the other way after reading a screen as it developed in the backfield. Uiagalelei put too much arm on the ball as Riley came flying in to snag it over Jaylin Lucas. He quickly shut down a Roydell Williams run later in the day. Riley seems to be getting more and more comfortable.

— I thought it was a pretty good day for Sione Lolohea as well. I noticed him consistently putting pressure on the quarterback and making things extremely tough for the blocking unit. Lolohea jammed up Morlock in team drills, working through the tight end for a tackle for loss. His strength and quick bursts make him a real handful.

— The competitive instincts are there for true freshman Ricky Knight III. He's putting in a lot of effort and it's paying off as Knight III recorded his second interception in as many practices on Thursday. This one was all him as he undercut a wide receivers route and dove in front of the throw to pick it off. Knight III went running to the end zone after the play with the entire defense running after him.

— Walk-on defensive back Christian White ended up picking off Luke Kromenhoek in the end zone on an errant throw in 7-on-7. He returned it the other way for a touchdown.

— It looked like Patrick Payton and the defensive line created enough pressure late in practice to swat the ball out of DJ Uiagalelei's hands for a fumble. Payton exploded through the line early in the day and slung Jaylin Lucas around in the backfield for a loss.

— Darrell Jackson had a dominant effort where he easily powered through the offensive line and brought down Roydell Williams. He combined with Sione Lolohea to stuff Caziah Holmes later on.

— Davonte Brown has been one of Florida State's bigger hitters this preseason. That continued on Thursday with the veteran safety laying the wood on Jaylin Lucas in the open field.

— Justin Cryer nearly came down with an interception in team drills with an inaccurate pass going off his hands. He recorded a tackle for loss on one of the first plays of the day with a good read and react.

— Couldn't tell exactly but it looked like KJ Kirkland delivered a physical hit to force a fumble. Linebacker Shawn Murphy scooped it up.

— Shyheim Brown filled a gap nicely in the running game to bring down Roydell Williams.

— Conrad Hussey ended up with a sack after coming in on a blitz and not being fooled at all by play-action.

— Tomiwa Durojaiye fought off a block for an instant stop at the line of scrimmage or behind it. He's done very well this preseason.

— Good read by DeMarco Ward, recognizing a screen and arriving to deliver a hit on Jaylin Lucas as the ball arrived.

— Timir Hickman-Collins ended up with a sack on a busted play.

— True freshman Cai Bates has impressed with his work in coverage. He deflected a pass while covering Amaree Williams in team drills.

— Aaron Hester applied serious pressure late in practice, instantly getting into the backfield and forcing an incompletion that could've been ruled a sack.

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