FSU Football Fall Camp Observations: Seminoles Put Forth Competitive Day In Shells

FSU donned shoulder pads for the first time this preseason on Friday.

Florida State practiced for the third consecutive day on Friday morning as fall camp rolls on. The Seminoles put on shoulders for the first time this preseason in what head coach Mike Norvell described as a 'competitive day' with promising moments on both sides of the ball. The team will be off on Saturday but will likely practice in full pads on Sunday.

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

READ MORE: FSU Football's Mike Norvell Recaps Day One of Fall Camp, Gives Update on Robert Scott

— Scouting season has begun with the calendar still in July. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans had representatives at practice.

— Jaylin Lucas, Malik Benson, and Micahi Danzy spent time returning punts. Lucas looked better than earlier this week while Danzy muffed one of his reps.

— I noticed Davonte Brown putting in a really good blocking effort during special teams drills. Impressive to see the veteran already bought into FSU's culture.

— Ryan Fitzgerald connected on a 40-yard field goal early in practice. During the special teams portion, he made a 32-yard attempt before having his kick from 41 yards blocked by Patrick Payton off the edge. Jake Weinberg connected from 32 yards but had his attempt from 41 yards blocked as well. It was hard to tell exactly who got it but we think it was Fentrell Cypress II.

OFFENSE:

— Both quarterbacks had their moments throughout practice in what felt like an even day for the most part. Once again, DJ Uiagalelei started cranking as he delivered a beautiful deep ball to Ja'Khi Douglas in 1-on-1's. The pass lofted in the air before sinking and landing right over Douglas's shoulder, hitting the receiver in stride as he left the defensive back in the dust. His decision-making caught Mike Norvell's attention in team drills as Uiagalelei had the option to run or pass, making the right choice to find Hykeem Willians near the sideline. Norvell threw some praise his way following the play.

In general, Uiagalelei was getting the ball out on time and putting it where his playmakers could take advantage. That led to big grabs by Lawrance Toafili, Kyle Morlock, Deuce Spann, and Kentron Poitier. He's settling in more and more each practice.

— Brock Glenn also seemed to read the defense pretty well. On one rep in 7-on-7, his first option wasn't available, leading Glenn to pump-fake before turning to the opposite side of the field and delivering to Jalen Brown over the middle. His legs were on display as well with a couple of plays thrown off schedule due to bad snaps. That didn't deter Glenn, who picked up the ball and scrambled twice. He took off on a designed run later in the practice and got out into the open field for a big gain with Brown blocking a defensive back for him down the sideline.

— Luke Kromenhoek continues to take steps in his progression as it feels like he's getting more and more consistent. Kromenhoek found fellow true freshman BJ Gibson behind the defense for a big play with a perfect deep ball. There were some other really fun moments as well, including connections with Lawayne McCoy and Camdon Frier.

— Caziah Holmes stood out in a deep running back room on Friday with his vision and big-play ability. He exploded through a hole that Darius Washington and Richie Leonard IV created for one of the larger runs of the day. Holmes went right through the middle of the defense and to the end zone as a host of players and coaches came running after him to celebrate. He's taken well to the competition created by Lawrance Toafili and Roydell Williams.

— A youngster to keep an eye on throughout the preseason is Samuel Singleton. He's got elite speed and can quickly rack up chunk plays with an inch of open space. On Friday, he did it on the ground and through the air. In 7-on-7, Luke Kromenhoek hit Singleton out of the backfield and the running back did the rest, hitting the jets to get near the end zone before eventually being tagged by a defender. He came back with two big efforts in team drills.

— It was another productive practice for Lawrance Toafili, who made a big impact in the passing game. He frustrated Shyheim Brown with back-to-back grabs in 7-on-7. Toafili had one of the catches of the day after reeling in a pass from DJ Uiagalelei on the sideline as he took a hit. Malik Benson ran over to celebrate with him after the play.

— Friday marked one of the best days that we've seen from Deuce Spann in a while as he fully showed off his potential when everything is clicking. Spann fought off a defensive back in 1-on-1's while making a nice adjustment to come down with a throw in a tight window. On his next rep, he beat Azareye'h Thomas over the middle with his speed. Spann hauled in a deep shot in team drills on what was another tough catch. He did miss out on an easy one as a pass from Brock Glenn fell off his hands with no defender in the area.

— Good day from Ja'Khi Douglas with multiple catches. Kentron Poitier pulled one down on the sideline late in practice with Azareye'h Thomas and Shyheim Brown draped all over him.

— Hykeem Williams had one of the routes of the day. He engaged a defensive back at the line of scrimmage and made a cut inside before coming back outside, completely losing his man and making a massive play in the process. Williams had a really tough sideline catch as well. He's steadily making improvements.

— The vertical on Elijah Moore is simply jaw-dropping. He elevated and took advantage of all of his length on a grab in team drills. Freaky stuff with how easily Moore controls his frame at such a young age.

— Friday was the best day of camp for the tight ends. Kyle Morlock did his thing once again while Jackson West, Brian Courtney, and Jerrale Powers all jumped into the mix. West ran an impressive route in 1-on-1's where he left Omarion Cooper behind with a cut over the middle of the field. Brian Courtney also had a big play in the period, creating separation against Ashlynd Barker and snagging a pass from Uiagalelei. Powers had a tough grab later in the day, good to see after he missed the spring with an injury.

— Walk-on wide receiver Willy Suarez ended up making a nice catch over the middle.

DEFENSE:

— Shades of dominance were on display from Farmer on Friday as he reminded everyone what he can do when the pads come on. Farmer easily put a veteran offensive lineman on their back in 3-on-2's with a physical effort. He broke through the offensive line in team drills, manhandling the smaller Jaylin Lucas. He slung the running back around like a rag doll. I like the way that he's approaching camp mentally and physically so far.

— The same can be said for Farmer's running mate, Darrell Jackson. The duo are simply a force no matter who is in front of them. Jackson made his presence felt in 3-on-2's after driving an offensive lineman so far off the ball that he pushed him into other players who were observing the drill. He's a monster in the making if the consistency comes together every single play.

— The defensive front, in general, was productive throughout the practice. Patrick Payton got going early after setting the edge to take down Caziah Holmes. On the very next play, he beat Robert Scott on the outside for a sack. Payton has popped up consistently - a good sign for Florida State.

— Byron Turner Jr. had a nice showing in 3-on-2's against the offensive line. In this drill, the two sides are essentially fighting to create any space at the line of scrimmage. Turner Jr. knocked Jaylen Early down on one rep after getting the lineman off balance with a strong initial push.

— Cai Bates put together two nice reps in a row in team drills. He broke up a pass intended for Camdon Frier after staying physical with the wide receiver. On the next play, he arrived to deliver a big shot on a skill player to force a fumble that was scooped up and taken back the other direction by Christian White.

— Azareye'h Thomas was in a position to create a turnover for the second straight day but had the ball fall off his hands. He broke up a pass intended for Kyle Morlock in 7-on-7 after accelerating and swatting it down. Felt like a good day overall.

— Grady Kelly's physicality popped up as he drove back Julian Armella on a rep in 3-on-2's.

— Justin Cryer is moving more fluidly compared to last year. He had nice stop early in the day after sticking with a running back out of the backfield.

— It's easy to tell that KJ Sampson's strength has improved ahead of his second season at Florida State. His hustle remains the same as Sampson chased down Brock Glenn for a sack in team drills.

— Some really physical reps from Sione Lolohea. On one play, he let Jeremiah Byers know he was there with a pop that caught the offensive linemans attention.

— Quindarrius Jones crashed down on a run early in practice and shut it down quickly.

— Ricky Knight punched out a pass to Lawayne McCoy to force an incompletion.

— Ashlynd Barker stuck with Kyle Morlock on a route in 1-on-1's, timing up the hit well to knock out the ball.

— A funny moment in 7-on-7 as Ja'Khi Douglas got an initial step on Kevin Knowles to create separation. The senior defensive back let out a yell to try and distract Douglas with a slightly inaccurate pass falling incomplete near the sideline.

— Walk-on defensive end Dante Anderson nearly picked off a pass late in practice after dropping back into coverage. The quarterback wasn't expecting it at all. Defensive ends coach John Papuchis had a wry smile on his face afterward. He wanted Anderson to make that play.

— Walk-on linebacker Emile Aime slung Kam Davis around during pass-blocking drills.

— Walk-on defensive back Jayden Bradford had an athletic pass defelection as practice went on.

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READ MORE: FSU Football Head Coach Mike Norvell Addresses SEC Commissioners Playoff Snub Slight

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