Florida State At Boston College: Tuesday Practice Observations

An encouraging day from Johnny Wilson, tight ends make plays, and Blake Nichelson continues to develop.

The Seminoles have run all over their first two opponents of the 2023 season by a combined score of 111-37. With that being, there are still plenty of things for the team to clean up as they move toward their ACC opener at Boston College. Florida State hit the practice fields on Tuesday to get some work in for roughly two and a half hours.

READ MORE: Kickoff Time, TV Channel Announced For Florida State's Crucial Road Game Against Clemson 

Following the practice, head coach Mike Norvell seemed pleased with the effort from the Seminoles. He thought the team approached the day with the right mindset as FSU continues to build consistency.

NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire session on Tuesday and jotted down some observations from the day.

— The New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, and San Francisco 49ers had representatives observing the practice.

— Kicking has been clean early in the season and that has been reflected by the effort in practice from Ryan Fitzgerald and Tyler Keltner. They both connected from 33 yards and 44 yards on their live reps on Tuesday.

OFFENSE:

— There have been some tough moments for wide receiver Johnny Wilson during the first two games as he had multiple drops against LSU and Southern Miss. I was interested to see how he would respond after a disappointing outing on Saturday. It was exactly the type of practice that Wilson needed as he hauled in every single throw that I saw hit his hands.

Wilson got started with a grab over the middle for a first down during tempo drills. That carried over to 1-on-1's when he made a difficult grab deep downfield, not altering his stride despite having to track the ball and secure it low with Shyheim Brown on his heels. Wilson caught back-to-back passes in 7-on-7 as well. Encouraging response from bird man.

— The tight ends as a whole had a pretty active practice. Markeston Douglas had a nifty catch on the sideline where he was tightly covered by Jarrian Jones but utilized his frame to wall him off and make the grab. 

Jaheim Bell got involved in multiple facets, including a play-action pass where Jordan Travis found him wide-open on the opposite side of the field for a decent gain. Bell got free in 1-on-1's with a strong route where he stuck his foot in the dirt and exploded away from a defender. 

Preston Daniel had a defender on his back but still turned to make a catch in 1-on-1's.

Kyle Morlock had a tough grab over the middle as well.

There was a rep in 7-on-7 where Jackson West collided with another receiver and fell to the ground. He noticed the ball coming his way and somehow made enough of an effort to leap from the ground and make the catch.

— Quarterback Tate Rodemaker and wide receiver Hykeem Williams had a nice connection early in practice. Rodemaker stepped up under pressure and delivered a throw in a tight pocket to Williams, who worked his way back in front of a defender for the catch. Williams made a tough grab later in practice where he had to use all of his arm extension to reel one in with a defender draped all over him.

— Darion Williamson got some love from Mike Norvell after a tough grab on the sideline.

— Jordan Travis tossed a beautiful deep shot down the sideline to Keon Coleman in team drills. An NFL throw that was simply unguardable.

— Vandrevius Jacobs was back making plays at practice following his first career touchdown on Saturday night. Jacobs got free deep in 1-on-1's for an over-the-shoulder catch. He made a great effort on the sideline to come down with a ball that he originally bobbled. It was hard to tell if he got a foot in.

— Bless Harris had a nice blocking effort downfield and was able to effectively put a body on a defensive back to create space for a big play by Destyn Hill.

DEFENSE:

— It was a nice day for Fabien Lovett, who once again had some dominant moments against some of Florida State's veteran offensive linemen. He easily beat D'Mitri Emmanuel with a nice move inside. That fired up the defensive line as Braden Fiske, Joshua Farmer, and Darrell Jackson all won their matchups. Mike Norvell and Odell Haggins seemed happy, for the most part, with the defense.

Lovett came back with a play on a fourth down scenario where he was in position for a sack, forcing Travis to throw a pass he wasn't comfortable with that almost got picked off by Jarrian Jones in the end zone.

— Kevin Knowles appears to have settled in at the safety spot. He recorded two interceptions during practice last week and came away with another pick on Tuesday. Knowles was in the right position on a deep ball, stepping up and hauling it in.

— There continue to be encouraging signs from true freshman linebacker Blake Nichelson, who Adam Fuller said is probably the most improved player at the position over the last month. He earned some props from Norvell after reading and sticking a running back on a play up the middle.

Later on during 7-on-7, Nichelson stayed with Hykeem Williams and made an effort to knock the ball out of his hands, forcing an incompletion.

— Azareye'h Thomas brought enough of a presence to force an incompletion on a throw to Markeston Douglas. It was hard to tell if he got a hand on the ball. Thomas used his frame for a pass deflection later in the session.

— After nearly picking off a pass on Saturday, true freshman Conrad Hussey is still attacking the ball. He came flying in to break up a pass that was thrown to the sideline, almost grabbing it for himself.

— Patrick Payton and Darrell Jackson both recorded tackles for loss in team drills. Jackson worked from the backside to bring down a running back. 

— Greedy Vance closed on a deep pass to deflect it before Deuce Spann could make the catch.

— Tatum Bethune had a crushing hit on a running back, arriving right as the ball was handed off.

— Renardo Green didn't get fooled by some trickery from the offense and was in position for a tackle for loss.

— DJ Lundy sacked Travis during team drills.

— Jaden Jones had a tackle for loss on the day.

— Dante Anderson batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.

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