FSU Football Fall Camp Observations: Defense Tightens Up As Hykeem Williams Has Another Good Day

The former five-star prospect is flashing his vast potential on a more consistent basis.

Florida State's defense started off camp on a high note. The battles have been competitive throughout the preseason but it's safe to say Adam Fuller's unit got the best of the offense for the majority of practice on Friday. Head Coach Mike Norvell called it a day of momentum swings following the session.

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That's a good way to put it because, despite the strong showing from the defense, the offense was able to string together some good moments during third-down work and team drills in the red zone.

NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire practice and jotted down some observations from the session.

— The New York Giants, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans had personnel observing the practice.

— Ryan Fitzgerald connected on his field goal attempts from 31 yards and 43 yards out. His second attempt hit the upright and bounced in. Tyler Keltner was no good on kicks from the same range but did convert on a 24-yard field goal earlier in practice.

OFFENSE:

— Hykeem Williams has had two very promising days in a row. He's clearly in much better shape than when he first started with the program in the spring and seems to be slowly making strides as a route-runner. As I wrote yesterday, it's going to be all about consistency for Williams which Mike Norvell also noted after practice but the good moments are extremely fun. 

Williams had two tough catches in 1-on-1s, including one where he got a step on Renardo Green and used the entirety of his arm's length to haul in a pass. However, I thought Williams' top moment of the day was a touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone where he twisted his body and went vertical to make a play with two defenders closing in. Norvell pointed at Williams after the play, emphatically barking, "Keem, great route."

— Jordan Travis and Brock Glenn stood out amongst the quarterback unit in regard to their decision-making and ability to read the defense. Travis, in particular, was excellent at sensing pressure and finding the right time to roll out just as the pocket started to collapse. There was one play where Travis was looking off to one side of the field before quickly flipping his hips and delivering to a crossing Johnny Wilson on the opposite side. Impressive stuff with multiple NFL scouts looking on.

— Jaheim Bell and Markeston Douglas each had impressive catches downfield. Bell went vertical to out-leap two defensive backs for a ball in the end zone. Douglas matched him with a score by somehow getting enough air to snag a pass over linebacker Blake Nichelson, who was in a really good position on the play.

— Bell had another play where he displayed the skills and body control that make him such a versatile chess piece. He was moving across the field toward his right when a pass was fired low to the opposite side of his body. Bell somehow was able to adjust and reach out for the catch while going to the ground.

— CJ Campbell was able to find some room on the ground early in practice to the left side. Jaylen Early and Julian Armella combined to help create space with the latter working up to the second level.

— Once again, Destyn Hill was very good on Friday. Not only did Hill easily win a few battles in 1-on-1's, including a catch over the middle against his friend Greedy Vance (who tried to punch out the ball to no avail), but he also had at least one impressive block in the running game.

— Johnny Wilson also got in plenty of work in the receiving game. Travis went to him multiple times during the day, including a scoring pass late in practice where he went through the entirety of his progressions before finding his 6-foot-7 target over the middle.

— Trey Benson talked about becoming a better receiver during his second year at Florida State. He proved it on Friday with a vertical grab in traffic where he displayed impressive body control and concentration to hang on while going to the ground.

— Lawrance Toafili had a couple of catches out of the backfield and at least one long run where he cut back to the left side of the field.

— Caziah Holmes was forced to find a cutback lane after the offensive lineman in front of him was blown up. That didn't end up being a problem as he suddenly exploded to the opposite side of the field and up the sideline. Holmes had a catch out of the backfield where he put a powerful shoulder into Quindarrius Jones.

— Keon Coleman isn't only impressive on the field. Following a play where a pass slipped through Joshua Burrell's hands due to a well-timed hit from KJ Kirkland, Coleman pulled him over the side to throw him a couple of balls and provide some words of encouragement.

— Tight end Jerrale Powers caught a pass while working over the middle from AJ Duffy in the red zone. There was no defender in the area and he cut up for a touchdown.

— Walk-on tight end Jimmy Casey caught three passes in a row from Duffy during 7-on-7.

DEFENSE:

— Linebacker DJ Lundy continues to put together a solid preseason and his improvement has been more than noticeable. Lundy seems to be moving better than ever and his confidence is at an all-time high. He's trusting his eyes and instincts and it's paying off. Lundy blew up multiple plays during team drills, stuffing Winston Wright on an end-around with a hard tackle before getting a sack on a play where the offense tried to get tricky.

— Considering the circumstances, no one would've blamed Darrell Jackson if this week wasn't his best after his waiver was denied by the NCAA. Instead, he is using the moment as motivation on the practice field, popping up time and time again. Jackson had an impressive pursuit of Jordan Travis out of the pocket and easily dominated a veteran offensive lineman in 3-on-2's.

— The defense brought the pressure early in practice as Braden Fiske and Renardo Green combined for a sack. Green had a pass deflection in the end zone while guarding Johnny Wilson, preventing a score on a drive that ended in a turnover on downs.

— Akeem Dent was also vital in the fourth-down stop on the drive mentioned above, he held up a runner short of the line to gain to force the goal-to-go scenario. Dent had a crafty pass deflection in 1-on-1's where he stepped inside of Kyle Morlock to get a hand on the ball.

— Kalen DeLoach's activity stood out at times. He had an impressive track on a quarterback where he recognized the play, exploded forward inside of an offensive lineman and got to the signal-caller for a stop.

— Fellow veteran linebacker Tatum Bethune was bouncing around and doing some things on Friday. One of those flashes was an explosive rush through a gap for a tackle for loss. Bethune didn't waste one second shutting down the play.

— Shyheim Brown is another defender that continues to stack up good days which is a great thing for Florida State as he prepares to step into a bigger role. He was in tight coverage of Markeston Douglas when a pass was thrown to the sideline. Douglas went up and got his hands on it but Brown forced it out as the two went to the ground.

— True freshman Ja'Bril Rawls is basically a natural in coverage. He seems comfortable out there and continues to consistently win battles.

— Linebacker Brian Courtney continues to steadily progress in his position change. He had a nice stop on a end-around play where he drove his shoulder into a running block trying to block him before making the tackle. 

— Braden Fiske was pretty good once again on Friday. He had some big-time sequences, including a tackle for loss where he and Dennis Briggs bullied the offensive line.

— I thought linebacker Demarco Ward was very active throughout the practice. He was consistently around the ball during team drills, breaking up a pass on the sideline that was intended for Markeston Douglas.

— KJ Kirkland delivered a nice hit to knock a ball out of Joshua Burrell's hands that looked like it would be a catch. He recorded a sack on a blitz later in practice.

— For the second straight day, walk-on defensive end Grant Fielder made a big-time play, well, actually two. Fielder beat his man easily for a sack on the quarterback. On the next step, he absolutely bench pressed a younger offensive lineman on the team, sending them flying into the air and slamming into the ground. Probably one of the most violent plays we've seen in camp.

— Walk-on defensive back Donnie Herbert had a beautiful diving pass-deflection where he stuck with his man all the way across the field. 

— Walk-on linebacker AJ Cottrill recorded a tackle for loss during practice.

— Dennis Briggs, Braden Fiske, and Darrell Jackson all stood out against the offensive line during 3-on-2's.

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