Five Takeaways From Florida State's ACC Kickoff Availability
Florida State's availability for the ACC Kickoff was today, and there were plenty of things to take away from the press conferences, 1-on-1 interviews, and local media sessions.
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Mike Norvell was very consistent in his message throughout the day, Jordan Travis was a fantastic representative of the university, Jared Verse gave a lot of clickbait things to say, and Kalen DeLoach was respectful and honest in all of his answers.
Growth and Consistency
This was the most consistent message Coach Norvell gave throughout the day, first saying "You look back a season ago, and we took some great steps as a team. We had some really positive experiences, and we had some games where we came up short for a variety of reasons. To be able to learn from those, you've got to be able to pour all that you have into it." He would reinforce these statements later saying "There were ten times last season we stepped on the field and saw a lot of success (last season). Then there were times that we weren't as consistent as we needed to be, whether it was a certain situation, things that showed up throughout the course of the game. As we return a very experienced team, it's one that has a lot of competition."
Jordan Travis spoke to this as well, bringing up the NC State game last year as one that he grew from and continues to learn from; "It made me a lot tougher, and I've learned a lot from that games... When you throw a pick to end the game, it hurts a lot. You feel like you let everybody down. At the end of the day, my teammates let me know that they have my back. That was the most important thing... If I was ever in that position again, I can promise you it would be way different."
Jared Verse touched a little bit on his personal growth, saying he improved his overall technique, like his get-off on the snap, and his hand-fighting speed, though he was quick to note that they weren't issues to begin with. He feels like he can get even faster and even stronger, and be better with his decision-making.
Sense of Urgency and Responsibility
There is no complacency with this team, at least from the representatives at ACC Kickoff. Verse said one of the biggest reasons he came back was because there was so much as a team to still accomplish. "(I was) seeing all these other guys comes back. Like these two guys (Travis and DeLoach), the coaching staff was coming back, Fabien Lovett came back, Jarrian Jones came back. All these guys came back, key players. I had a feeling I was going to come back, I'm not done here yet."
Coach Norvell even talked about fighting complacency, attacking each day with aggressive mindsets, being focused on the work and the growth. This team felt like they let themselves down a few times with losses that didn't need to happen and close games that didn't need to be close. They seem to be doing what it takes to take that next step.
Norvell also felt a sense of responsibility to keep Florida State successful as someone mentioned his Bobby Bowden tie. "We had the greatest example in collegiate football history of being able to sustain success (in Coach Bowden)... I've got a great responsibility leading this program. I'll never forget sitting down with Coach Bowden at my desk in that office. I remember him telling me 'be true to who you are'... That's a daily challenge and I owe it to him."
Verse said in the breakout interview room "Last year felt like a winning team, this year feels like a dominant team." I think that speaks to the urgency.
New Additions
Everyone was asked a lot about the newcomers, with Norvell saying Keon Coleman has the size, speed, and movement skills to be a very impactful player for this team, Winston Wright is taking the steps to be a very good player for the team, Destyn Hill has a ton of potential. "We've got tremendous playmakers. That I'm certain of. It's at every level within our team."
Jared Verse was very excited about the addition of Braden Fiske "I don't think anyone can compete with our D-line. We're too deep, have too much talent... Fiske is one of the only people I've met that can match my intensity with no problem. I can't wait to see him on the field.
The new additions on the defensive line should help Kalen DeLoach too, as he said "I'm very excited, we've got some dogs up front. We've got Verse, Fabien, Braden Fiske, Darrell Jackson, Pat Payton. I feel like there's a lot to worry about upfront to where it's going to help the back end from the linebackers back to make plays, just to be free and run and tackle. That's what we do best."
Norvell was also asked about the addition of Virginia transfer cornerback Fentrell Cypress, to which he responded "He has been remarkable. From the first day he's gotten here, it's been about the work. Not just on the field, but building a relationship with his teammates, coming in and learning things we do schematically. He's just a wonderful young man, a wonderful representative of our program."
Is Florida State Back?
Someone asked this question to Verse and he chuckled a little bit to say "yeah, of course," but you could see it before anyone asked that question. I sat in on Pitt's, Virginia Tech's, and Duke's press conferences, which were the three before Florida State. There were a handful of people in there and usually by the time it's time for the speaker to step down, everyone has run out of questions, or they're asking some basic ones.
That was not the case with Florida State, especially Mike Norvell and Jordan Travis. There were whispers as soon as they changed the backdrop to Florida State. Norvell went over his 15-minute time slot and there were still plenty of hands raised by the end, Jordan Travis had more intrigue than any other player here today, and there were a ton of questions about the expectations, and what they're doing to handle the hype.
Even if there are some doubts nationally about whether or not FSU is ready to contend for a championship, the ACC believes they can. Any game they have this year are going to have a lot of eyeballs throughout the conference. There was a fair share of questions with the premise of "Clemson has been the top dog in recent memory, are you guys capable of taking that mantle?"
This team is ready to go out and prove it. Against LSU. Against Clemson. Whoever they have to face to get back to the ACC Championship, they're ready for the challenge.
Jordan Travis is Ready for the Bright Lights
There was a quote from Norvell that caught a lot of people's attention. "A year ago spring, our exit meeting. I told Jordan to go walk out, I want you to walk into the lobby, and I want you to look at the three Heisman trophies. I believe you can win one. I believe in him, in the growth that I've seen and the growth that I know is still ahead."
"He is a quarterback, he's accurate, he can push the ball down the field, he's smart... I've been fortunate to coach a lot of very productive quarterbacks in my career, and he's a special one. There is nothing that he has done that has shocked me, and he's still just scratching the surface to where he's going which excites me."
Travis has the tools, he has the weapons in Keon Coleman, Jaheim Bell, Johnny Wilson (who he called a cheat code), Trey Benson. He has the leadership capabilities and is continuing to get better at it. He seems to have grown from his mistakes, and there's a reason Florida State is pushing so hard to put some Heisman attention on Travis.
He's more than ready for it. Now that he has a full year of playing under his belt, he's ready to play the games, he's ready to win games, and he's ready to lead this team to what he believes they're capable of. And Coach Norvell is steadfast in his belief that Travis can get even better.
Overall, the message was the same. Continue to grow, continue to be more consistent. If they do what they need to do, everything else will fall in place. The talent is there, the leadership is there. Now it's just time to go out and win some games.
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