FSU Football Fall Camp Observations: The Venue Changes But The Work Remains The Same

The Seminoles practiced in Jacksonville on Wednesday morning in a session that was forced indoors due to Hurricane Debby.

FSU Athletics

Florida State dealt with a change of scenery on Wednesday with the team in Jacksonville for its next two practices of the preseason. Originally scheduled to practice at UNF, the Seminoles instead found themselves inside the Jaguars' indoor facility due to the aftereffects of Hurricane Debby.

The switch didn't deter the players or coaching staff from what was a high-energy and physical session that lasted over two hours. The defensive line and defensive backfield were excellent for most of the practice, making things very tough on offense. The unit did put forth a few chunk plays but will likely want to be more consistent tomorrow.

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.

— A contingent of former Florida State stars viewed the practice from the sidelines, including Jacksonville Jaguars standouts Jarrian Jones and Ronald Darby. The two were followed around by a camera crew to document the moment as they spent time with the defense, Mike Norvell, and others. Nile Lawrence-Stample and James Coleman were also in attendance.

— The Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams had scouts watching the practice.

— Ryan Fitzgerald missed from 45 yards out in the middle portion of practice. He responded with a 51-yard kick that had distance to spare. Jake Weinberg connected from 45 yards.

OFFENSE:

— It was an up-and-down day for the quarterback unit as a whole. It felt like there were some passes that got away from the group along with a few possible miscommunication issues with the wide receivers. DJ Uiagalelei connected on one of the throws of the day with a beautiful deep ball to Malik Benson on the sideline. The pass landed perfectly over the shoulder with Azareye'h Thomas in coverage as the two went crashing out of bounds. Uiagalelei had another nice pass to Amaree Williams down the seam, getting the ball over a safety and to his tight end. The play garnered acknowledgment from Mike Norvell with the head coach shouting "great throw DJ! Great throw!" to his quarterback.

Uiagalelei set up Lawrance Toafili for a tough catch late in practice after working out of the pocket and firing a dart to the sideline. The veteran running back somehow came down with the ball as he went to the ground with a defender in the area.

— Brock Glenn displayed notable comfort in the pocket, hanging in despite pressure and keeping his eyes downfield to eventually find BJ Gibson. He connected with Darion Williamson after getting out of the pocket and finding the wide receiver on the run. Glenn had another strike to Lawrance Toafili on a play that KJ Kirkland quickly cleaned up.

— Good day from Malik Benson, who was very active throughout the practice. I highlighted one of his big plays above but he also had a really crazy catch as well. DJ Uiagalelei stood in the pocket and recognized that Benson was open over the middle. The pass was slightly high for the wide receiver but Benson is always up for a challenge, showing off his vertical as he plucked the ball out of the air. He's been much more consistent with his hands these last few practices.

— I felt like Roydell Williams popped up as well, especially early. He had a decent run on the first set of team drills, getting loose for a first down. Later in the drive, Williams caught a pass over the middle after getting a step on Cam Riley.

— Jaylin Luacs and his speed showed up. He got involved with a few short catches that he turned into a little extra with his shiftiness.

— The tight ends were going through a drill during individual work where they were running routes between five cones. The purpose of this setup was to hone in on contested catches as an assistant coach smacked the players with a pad as they tried to finish the play. Amaree Williams looked really good, holding onto every pass that came his way.

— Amaree Williams and Jackson West were highlighted by the coaching staff for their blocking efforts during a drill against the defensive line and linebackers. That's the second time in about a week that Preston Brady has been fired up by the effort the true freshman is displaying.

— It wasn't a pretty start to practice for wide receiver Elijah Moore. He had two passes bounce off his hands along with a rep in 1-on-1's where Ricky Knight III didn't let him get off the ball. I liked the way that Moore responded down the stretch after hauling in a deep shot from Brock Glenn.

— Kyle Morlock was able to finish a contested catch with KJ Kirkland in good coverage. That's what you want to see after an earlier drop.

— Lawayne McCoy put a move on a defender to create extra space on a short pass.

— Kentron Poitier reeled in a pass after working back to the football.

DEFENSE:

— Have a day, Marvin Jones Jr. The junior defensive end was excellent on Wednesday, harassing the offense with a variety of quarterback pressures. His best moment might've come against the run, though. Lined up across from Jeremiah Byers, Jones Jr. came off the ball with physicality, driving the veteran offensive tackle back slightly before shedding off the block and bringing down Kam Davis for a loss. The play gave the defense plenty of energy. Jones Jr. also beat Mike Norvell in the daily pre-practice race for what felt like the second straight day.

— Monster moments from Patrick Payton and Darrell Jackson in 3-on-2's against the offensive line. Payton and Jackson flat-out dominated their respective matchups. Jackson chased down Uiagalelei to shut down a scramble later in practice.

— Tomiwa Durojaiye, Daniel Lyons, DD Holmes, and Grady Kelly stood out during the period too. Mike Norvell and Odell Haggins were happy with what they saw from Durojaiye. Lyons put forth a physical rep. Holmes knocked down fellow true freshman Manasse Itete. Kelly beat Julian Armella on back-to-back reps.

— The defensive backfield was really good on Wednesday - one of their better days as a whole this preseason. They were all over the wide receivers with tight coverage, deflections, and a couple of interception opportunities. Azareye'h Thomas had a smart play where it looked Jalen Brown was going to make a touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone. As he caught the ball in the air, Thomas shoved him out of bounds to force an incompletion. Thomas stuck with Brown again later in the day, getting in a good spot to deflect a pass that could've potentially been picked off.

— Shyheim Brown got props from Mike Norvell for blanketing Deuce Spann on a route over the middle. It ended up as an easy deflection for Brown in what was a savvy play.

— Edwin Joseph covered Jalen Brown so well that the quarterback wasn't even able to throw the ball his way in 1-on-1's.

— The stickiness continued with true freshman Ricky Knight jamming Elijah Moore at the line of scrimmage. It was such a good effort that Moore couldn't even run a route. Knight had a chance to intercept a pass in team drills after Camdon Frier fell down on his route. The ball went right to Knight but he wasn't able to finish the play.

— Conrad Hussey quickly recovered for a pass deflection against BJ Gibson after it initially looked like the wide receiver would be able to make the catch. He followed that up by knocking Amaree Williams off his initial route, celebrating with some dance moves after the play. Plenty of swag for the DBs on Wednesday.

— Charles Lester III and Earl Little Jr. also created pass deflections. Little Jr. breakup came in the end zone.

— Ashlynd Barker had a nice rep in coverage against Amaree Williams, forcing an incompletion. Barker got a chance for an interception late in practice on a throw from Luke Kromenhoek that sailed on the quarterback. The ball bounced off his hands and fell to the turf.

— Justin Cryer provided a big enough hit to force Malik Benson to drop a pass. Cam Riley got involved in the running game, literally picking up Lawrance Toafili off his feet for a stop.

— Noted Jamorie Flagg powering through the offensive line in team drills, quickly getting into the backfield for a tackle for loss.

— Walk-on defensive back Christian White undercut a route for an interception in the end zone in 1-on-1's. White took it back the opposite way with the majority of the defensive backfield chasing after him.

— The defensive backs weren't the only position group playing with swag on Wednesday. Walk-on linebacker AJ Cottrill broke up a pass intended for Jerrale Powers in team drills. Cottrill got up after the play and pulled off the seatbelt celebration.

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