Florida State Spring Camp Observations: Seminoles Display Intensity Ahead of Spring Showcase

The Seminoles geared up for the Spring Showcase with an intense and physical practice on Thursday.

Florida State hit the practice fields on Thursday for its final session ahead of Saturday's Garnet & Gold Spring Showcase. The Seminoles cranked up the intensity a notch with the team on the cusp of playing in front of fans inside Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time in 2023. The practice included plenty of physicality and focus as bodies constantly hit the ground. 

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There were a variety of plays made on both sides of the ball, including a couple of highlight reel finishes from Ja'Khi Douglas and Kentron Poitier as Jordan Travis put together a solid day. At the same time, Patrick Payton and Jared Verse were able to put their stamp on things 

NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire practice and jotted down some observations below of some details that stood out during the session.

— Former FSU star and guest coach, Karlos Williams, as well as Athletic Director Michael Alford viewed the practice from the sidelines

— Tyler Keltner connected from 32 yards and 43 yards out. Ryan Fitzgerald was pure from the same distances. Keltner got another attempt during two minute/tempo drills. He made a kick from 42 yards out but a timeout was called before the snap. He came up wide left on his attempt that would've counted.

OFFENSE:

— It was a sharp day for Jordan Travis, especially early in practice. He connected with Trey Benson and Deuce Spann before placing a perfect throw to Jaheim Bell on the sideline. The possession ended with Keltner's missed kick. Travis hit Spann for a touchdown later in the day. I'm not sure how much we'll see of him on Saturday but he's been extremely consistent during the spring.

— Tate Rodemaker got an opportunity next and was brought down for a sack on the first play. He lofted a throw to the sideline that was brought in by a vertical Hykeem Williams. Rodemaker had a couple of passes go off-target before hitting Ja'Khi Douglas deep for a touchdown.

— Hykeem Williams has been coming along throughout the second half of the spring. He came down with an impressive catch after going vertical on the sideline with a defensive back plastered on him. Williams caught back-to-back passes from Travis during 7-on-7 and also got in position for another grab from Rodemaker.

— Ja'Khi Douglas fired up the jets and got behind the defense for a big play. He caught a ball behind the safety and took it the distance for a score.

— Bless Harris pancaked Jared Verse at one point during run-fit drills prior to turning in a couple of solid reps against Patrick Payton and Byron Turner Jr. 

— Running back Lawrance Toafili had himself a day, highlighted by a one-handed catch over the middle on a ball that came over the shoulder. He made a couple of other plays out of the backfield as well.

— Brock Glenn put together another good practice, showing off his precision on a few crisp throws. Glenn pump-faked and froze the defense before hitting Toafili on the sideline for a large gain.

— Kentron Poitier caught a deep ball in stride after beating Fentrell Cypress II and took it the distance for a touchdown.

— Keiondre Jones got out to the second level on a screen and bodied a defensive back to free up Trey Benson for a big play.

— Casey Roddick and Julian Armella both flashed at certain points during 1-on-1s.

— Zane Herring also got into space for a block on a screen pass.

DEFENSE:

— Patrick Payton dominated Jeremiah Byers during a rep in run fit drills, driving back the massive offensive lineman. Norvell came running in and smacked both sides of Payton's helmet in celebration.

— Jared Verse had a couple of good battles with Bless Harris and Jeremiah Byers. He showed his speed by getting to Travis in the backfield before he wanted to throw the ball. Verse got Travis again on a quarterback keeper.

— Gilber Edmond easily got through Lucas Simmons for a sack on Tate Rodemaker.

— Antavious Woody is still building consistency but when he flashes, he flashes. Woody put an offensive lineman on the turf and let the rest of the unit know about it during run-fit drills. He did the same thing once again in 1-on-1s and the entire defensive line roared in celebration. 

— Kalen DeLoach spun off a block attempt and brought down a running back right at the line of scrimmage. Impressive instincts to sniff out the play before it could get going.

— Byron Turner Jr. recovered a fumble.

— Omar Graham Jr. mirrored a receiver and nearly came down with an interception. He's another defender that is seeing his name called more consistently.

— Greedy Vance had a rough start to the practice, getting beat twice during two-minute/tempo drills. He responded down the stretch with a couple of plays, including a hit on a receiver at the line of scrimmage.

— Shyheim Brown blitzed out of his safety spot and forced a poor throw from a quarterback.

— DeMarco Ward nearly intercepted a pass. He also had a pass deflection and a nice stop while defending CJ Campbell.

— Dante Anderson beat Julian Armella and put him on his back with a power rush during 1-on-1s. One of the reps of the day.

— Walk-on defensive back Christian White showed up on Thursday. He pulled down the lone interception of the day and was consistently in the right position to break up multiple passes.

— Fellow walk-on defensive back Jaden Floyd came up just short of a pair of interceptions. Both passes slipped out of his hands.

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