FSU Football Fall Camp Observations: Defense Sets The Tone, DJU Impresses

The Seminoles held their first practice in full pads on Tuesday morning. Here's the latest out of fall camp.

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The preseason is in full swing in Tallahassee with Florida State wrapping up its sixth practice in the last seven days on Tuesday morning. For the first time this fall, the Seminoles wore full pads in what was a competitive and physical session.

The defense was flying around throughout the day, forcing multiple turnovers. The offense got better as the practice progressed, creating a handful of chunk plays in 7-on-7 and team drills. Head coach Mike Norvell mentioned he wasn't happy with the tempo during the middle of practice, it's an area the team will have to continue to clean up.

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

— The San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints had scouts watching the practice. The 49ers drafted Renardo Green and Tatum Bethune in April.

— The kicking highlight of the day was true freshman Jake Weinberg connecting on a long field goal from 51 yards out. I believe that's the longest kick we've seen to this point of the preseason. Weinberg was also good from 39 and 45 yards out. Ryan Fitzgerald had his first attempt hit the upright but made a kick from 45 yards out.

— Thought it was interesting to see Maurice Smith, Darius Washington, and Robert Scott all hanging out during the waterbreak. The trio of veterans were a little away from the rest of the group and savoring the few minutes of rest. They did decide to sit right in the sun, rather than opting for the shade. I'm not sure I would have made the same choice.

— Mike Norvell was juiced up throughout the practice, more so than normal while pushing his team on Tuesday morning. At one point, a student manager got in the middle of a drill and Norvell kindly let him know about it. Yesterday, the replay board wasn't working, leading to a comment from the head coach. He's holding everyone in the building accountable no matter their role.

— A ton of energy from assistant coaches such as Adam Fuller and Ron Dugans as well. Fuller made it to practice before Brock Glenn, deciding to steal the quarterbacks shine by pressing the sod cemetery button. Glenn will have to restart his tradition on Thursday.

— Cool moment in the special teams period with Ja'Khi Douglas and Jaylin Lucas working together on the kick return unit. The brothers bring plenty of speed and the potential of an electric play at any moment.

OFFENSE:

— I really think this might've been DJ Uiagalelei's best practice of the preseason. It wasn't perfect as there were a couple of deep connections that came up just short but he made some really high-level throws downfield. The most impressive was a rep in 7-on-7 where Uiagalelei used his eyes to freeze the safeties before leading Ja'Khi Douglas to the corner of the end zone with a well-placed pass. There was also a deep ball to Kentron Poitier that fell into the receiver's arms in a perfect spot for a touchdown with Fentrell Cypress II in coverage. Both plays got the offense fired up.

Uiagalelei fired a dart to Lawrance Toafili in the back of the end zone for a touchdown in 1-on-1's. He was picked off in the period as well but based on Mike Norvell's reaction, it seemed like the receiver made a mistake on the route. There were some decisions that need to be slightly quicker but Uiagalelei is certainly trending in the right direction this week.

— Brock Glenn also had his moments on Tuesday. That included a throw to Brian Courtney that he got over the safety to find his man on the sideline. He rolled out later in practice to find Amaree Williams in space with the tight end nearly turning the short throw into a touchdown. Glenn got loose on a scramble in team drills as well, working his way into the secondary for one of the longer runs of the practice. He was picked off for the first time this preseason but made the right decision on the play. It was just an even better effort by the defensive back to wrestle away the pass (we'll get more into that later).

— Luke Kromenhoek is flashing more and more each practice. He found BJ Gibson with a beautiful deep ball in a play that was reminiscent of a similar connection back on Sunday. Gibson beat his matchup and Kromenhoek put it right where it needed to be. He followed that up with a pair of smart reads that resulted in consecutive completions to Amaree Williams and Samuel Singleton with Norvell giving the young quarterback props afterward. Kromenhoek set up Lawayne McCoy for one of the catches of the day in 7-on-7 with a lob to the sideline that let the true freshman do the rest.

— Lawayne McCoy came down with a really impressive grab for the second consecutive practice. In 7-on-7, Kromenhoek took a shot to the sideline with McCoy in single coverage. The true freshman went up vertical for a monster catch with a defensive back draped all over him. The throw almost looked like it was going to sail out of bounds before McCoy decided otherwise.

— Malik Benson beat Azareye'h Thomas over the middle for a catch in the end zone. He did drop a touchdown but came back with a solid play in 7-on-7 after finding room in the middle of the defense. Benson caught a short pass later on that he turned into a little more following a move on a defender to create space. He dropped a touchdown in 7-on-7 for the second day in a row, something that needs to be cleaned up.

— Pretty good outing for Kentron Poitier, one of his better days as of late. He caught the deep shot but also showed his ability after the catch after snagging a short throw in 7-on-7 and breaking an arm tackle to advance up the sideline. Norvell made it a point to mention him after practice.

— Hykeem Williams dropped one of the throws of practice after breaking away from Azareye'h Thomas downfield. Uiagalelei put the ball in a great spot but Williams couldn't corral it. He responded later in the day with a big play deel after making the most of his next opportunity.

— Elijah Moore ran a nice route to lose his man and get open in 1-on-1's.

— Not as much running room in this practice as some of the others with the defense tightening up. One play that did get loose was a run to the right by Roydell Williams. The running back advanced to the second level of the defense with some really strong blocking downfield by Caziah Holmes and Brian Courtney.

— Micahi Danzy exploded down the sideline later in the day, scampering away from the defense. As he soared into open space, a member of the staff shook their head and proclaimed 'he is so fast.' The true freshman is already opening eyes.

— Darius Washington stonewalled linebacker Cam Riley to create an opening for Lawrance Toafili to score a touchdown off a throw from DJ Uiagalelei.

— Kyle Morlock held onto a pass despite taking a big hit from Cam Riley.

DEFENSE:

— Excellent practice from redshirt freshman cornerback Edwin Joseph, who was limited for much of last season with a shoulder injury. He created a turnover on an outstanding interception where he wrestled the ball away from Lawayne McCoy on the sideline. Glenn made a smart pass to his receiver but Joseph arrived to make the hit. As the two went to the ground, he fought for the pass to turn it from a completion to a pick. Joseph brought down Lawrance Toafili in space as the practice continued, sticking with the running back despite a juke move.

— Speaking of redshirt freshmen, cornerback Ja'Bril Rawls had a very good practice himself. Rawls delivered a hit on a receiver in 7-on-7 to force the ball out. Not sure if it was an incompletion or fumble but he scooped it up either way. A few plays later, Rawls recovered on a route over the middle, emphatically punching out a pass to Jalen Brown. It feels like we're hearing his name more and more each day. High energy and effort.

— Add Earl Little Jr. to the turnover board. He was in position to pick off DJ Uiagalelei in the end zone in 1-on-1's. We think Deuce Spann potentially ran the wrong route or had some type of other miscommunication with the quarterback.

— Noted a strong play from linebacker Justin Cryer where he pursued Jaylin Lucas laterally and ultimately made the stop on the sideline. There were a couple of reps where he was in the right spot to help plug up runs before they got started. Blake Nichelson got in on a tackle for loss of his own in team drills.

— I thought Shawn Murphy was really active today, maybe more so than any other practice this preseason. He forced a fumble on a rep against Elijah Moore in open-field tackling drills, recovering it and running the opposite direction. Murphy had a tackle for loss in team drills too. His athleticism is apparent when he's on the field.

— Cam Riley had a big hit on Malik Benson. His physicality popped up a few times.

— D'Nas White showed up well in his first practice in full pads with the Seminoles. He dominated a rep in 3-on-2's with Norvell running in for a high-five. White brought down Roydell Williams at the line of scrimamge after working off a blocker. Also noticed him putting pressure on Brock Glenn at one point.

— Darrell Jackson, Patrick Payton, Daniel Lyons, and Jamorie Flagg stood out in 3-on-2's against the offensive line. Payton has been winning his matchup against Byers as of late. Lyons earned praise from Norvell. The entire defensive line - along with Norvell and Odell Haggins - were pumped up after Flagg drove back an offensive lineman, popping off the players helmet.

— Sione Lolohea ended up with a tackle for loss on a play where the defensive line got straight into the backfield. Joshua Farmer was set up on the backside as well.

— Shyheim Brown deflected a pass and was his normal self on Tuesday. His leadership continues to shine as Brown made it a point to stand behind the offense in team drills when he wasn't on the field, communicating with the secondary and getting players lined up. He was working closely with Conrad Hussey at different junctures. Things you love to see from your rising star safety.

— Kevin Knowles punched out a pass in 1-on-1's that might've been a fumble. Hard to tell from our vantage point.

— Ashlynd Barker has made plenty of physical plays in the last couple of practices. He delivered a well-timed hit on Kyle Morlock to force an incomplete pass.

— Omarion Cooper stuck with Ja'Khi Douglas on a really competitive effort at the goal line to prevent a touchdown.

— Charles Lester III got his hands on a pass in the end zone on what probably should've been a score for Hykeem Williams in the corner.

— Big time effort from Timir Hickman-Collins to engage and shed a blocker to stop a skill player on what could've been a chunk play. The true freshman shut it down with Ricky Knight III in the area as well.

— Aaron Hester came flying in for a sack on a play where the defensive backfield locked down their matchups. Nothing open for the quarterback downfield.

— Walk-on defensive end Dante Anderson got home on a similar play. In general, the coverage was very strong throughout the practice.

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