FSU Football Fall Camp Observations: Seminoles Conclude Two Days at UNF With Intense Practice

The Seminoles learned a lot about themselves during their annual trip to Jacksonville.

There is only one path to the top of college football and it's a twisting road through the uncomfortable and unknown. The Seminoles have embraced finding comfort in tough situations and there was no perfect example than the last two days. 

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Stuck in unfamiliar territory with the blazing sun and humidity pounding down, Florida State's players made a choice to push themselves. It was a refreshing reminder of the direction the program has continued to trend in after some up-and-down moments at UNF a year ago.

NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire practice and jotted down some observations from a hot day in Jacksonville.

— The Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angele Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, and Houston Texans were among the NFL teams with representatives at practice.

— Mike Norvell and the coaching staff were as intense as they've been this entire preseason on Friday. Multiple members of the staff were getting all over their respective position groups. 

— Tight end Kyle Morlock seems to be taking on a big role on Florida State's punt unit. Destyn Hill, Keon Coleman, and Lawrance Toafili took the majority of reps as punt returners.

— There was an emphasis on making this practice even more intense and physical than Thursday. One new drill we saw had some shades of a modern Oklahoma drill. Two players were lined up opposite of each other with a stack of pads creating a barrier between them. A ball was placed on one side of the pad. The goal of the drill was essentially for the offensive player to grab the ball and run through the defender. On the flip side, the defense was trying to prevent the ball carrier from gaining much ground.

— True freshman defensive back Ja'Bril Rawls might've gotten the best reaction of anyone in the drill. He drove back an offensive player to the opposite side as a bunch of defensive backs came running after him. Mike Norvell jumped into the mix to celebrate as well.

— The kicking battle is continuing to stay close. Ryan Fitzgerald connected from 24 yards out on a kick that hit the post and bounced in. He was also good from 33 yards. Tyler Keltner matched him from 24 but his attempt from 33 yards hit off the crossbar.

OFFENSE:

— Once again, Jordan Travis was in a rhythm during Friday's practice. He got going early on in the day with back-to-back connections to tight end Kyle Morlock. The second throw was a lob to the back corner of the end zone where only Morlock could come down with it. He was consistently going through his progressions and putting the ball in the right spot. Travis seemed pleased with how the team accepted the challenge at UNF.

— For the second straight day, Kyle Morlock was a problem. He caught a touchdown during the first few minutes of practice before coming down with a two-point conversion later in the day. This might be the stretch that propels him into the remainder of the preseason.

— I thought Rodney Hill had his best day of fall camp through the first two weeks. He performed well on the ground but it was his inclusion in the passing game that really stood out. Hill caught a short pass on the perimeter before cutting up the sideline for a 30+ yard touchdown on a play where no defender could touch him. Hill had another catch where he put a foot in the ground and then exploded to get by a linebacker that was trying to track him.

— Speaking of productive running backs, Caziah Holmes is stacking up the good days. He's such a patient runner with the ability to work inside or outside. Holmes isn't afraid to improvise if the play isn't there. He had the ball tossed to him on the outside before noticing multiple defenders on the perimeter and deciding to go back through the middle for a run into the secondary. Holmes scored a long touchdown to the left in team drills. There's still work to do as a receiver but it's clear that Holmes will have a role somewhere in the backfield.

— Keon Coleman put together a strong blocking effort downfield to help create some running room for Lawrance Toafili. A promising sign that Coleman is ready to do whatever he needs to in Tallahassee.

— There have been a couple of nice moments for Joshua Burrell in camp. He went up vertical for a grab in 1-on-1's before snagging a touchdown in the corner from Travis in 7-on-7.

— Jaheim Bell had his daily play that raises your eyebrows on a strong throw from Travis.

— Destyn Hill caught a pass and instantly got popped by Shyheim Brown. The true freshman was able to hang on to the grab.

— Goldie Lawrence had a couple of big plays on the ground, including an end-around touchdown.

DEFENSE:

— There are always a few players who rise to the occasion in Jacksonville. One of the names to note on defense was true freshman safety Conrad Hussey. He was in the right place at the right time for an interception on Thursday. Hussey walked off the field at UNF today with two more interceptions to his name. The first was on a pass to the sideline where the quarterback threw late due to pressure. The second was an excellent effort in the end zone where he undercut the wide receiver to create the turnover.

— Florida State's defensive line is stacked at the top but there's a lot of talent to like throughout the room. Redshirt freshman Ayobami Tifase has limitless potential if he's able to realize when he can develop into. His good moments are a ton of fun. Tifase crashed through the offensive line and sent multiple bodies flying twice during goal-line drills. Norvell absolutely loved the effort from the big man.

— Another good practice for Brian Courtney since he converted to linebacker. Courtney made multiple plays on the perimeter while working laterally. His athleticism is evident from the linebacker spot (even if some people don't like his backpedal). Courtney was really active throughout the day. I thought his best play was a read where he stuck with Caziah Holmes laterally and came up for a tackle for loss. 

— The light is turning on for true freshman linebacker Justin Cryer at a rapid pace. He seems to be the furthest along of any of the other incoming players in the 2023 class in his unit. Cryer stuffed Lawrance Toafili on third and short before shutting down Jordan Travis on a scramble. He made a good read on a play-action pass later in practice that allowed him to put a lick on a tight end right as the ball arrived.

— Really like what Florida State's young defensive backs have been doing in practice. A bright future for sure. Along with Hussey, Quindarrius Jones also ripped down an interception. It was a beautiful display of ball-skills as he went up the air and beat Hykeem Williams to make the play.

— A nice read by Shyheim Brown helped the promising safety shut down a two-point conversion. He also broke up a pass in the end zone and delivered a big hit later in practice.

— Converted safety Kevin Knowles has taken on a big leadership role in a position group that is lacking a ton of veteran experience outside of Akeem Dent. He was constantly shouting over instructions to younger players from the sideline when he wasn't in. Knowles spoke at length with KJ Kirkland after a play. He also called over Trey Benson to discuss how he turned his hands to try and catch a ball. Knowles is clearly dialed in on the little things.

— Braden Fiske was pretty solid on Friday. He shut down a screen pass all by himself. The offense allowed him to come upfield unblocked by design. The quarterback went to toss out the pass but Fiske leaped vertically to bat it down at the line of scrimmage. Later in practice, Trey Benson had a run to the opposite side by Fiske fought across and worked his way backside for the stop. A big man shouldn't move that fast.

— Arguably the biggest hit during practice came from DJ Lundy on running back Caziah Holmes. Lundy met him in the hole and clobbered the running back after Patrick Payton squeezed the play inside.

— Blake Nichelson wrapped up CJ Campbell following a short run.

— The smaller Greedy Vance held up in coverage against Deuce Spann to prevent a completion in the end zone.

— KJ Sampson, Braden Fiske, and Dennis Briggs had good moments in 1-on-1's. Jaden Jones and Malcolm Ray dominated one rep during 2-on-2's.

— Ja'Bril Rawls came away with a pass deflection in the end zone while defending Joshua Burrell.

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