FSU Football Spring Camp Observations: Seminoles Building Competitive Nature After First Scrimmage

From the top to the bottom of the roster, the Seminoles are getting after it and forcing everyone to bring their best each practice.

Florida State kicked off the third week of spring camp with a physical and competitive session on Tuesday evening. It wasn't necessarily the sharpest practice we've seen as of late with a focus on installation on both sides of the ball but there were still plenty of inspiring moments.

With that being said, the sheer level of fight and energy that the Seminoles are bringing to the field daily is only going to make this team even better when it's all said and done. From the top to the bottom of the roster, players are getting after it and forcing everyone to bring their best. That's a great thing with the halfway point of the spring starting to close in.

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NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire practice and we’ve provided our observations from the sixth session of the spring below.

— A large group of high school prospects and coaches were in attendance to view the practice. It was mostly a mix of recruits that Florida State is actively pursuing and local products.

— Ryan Fitzgerald continues to have a stellar spring. He connected on two of three attempts from 50+ yards, including a 53-yarder down the middle that had plenty of leg. Fitzgerald made a 39-yard kick to conclude a successful scoring drive in tempo drills.

OFFENSE:

— The quarterback group all had their moments following a scrimmage that Mike Norvell said looked better when he rewatched the tape. DJ Uiagalelei tossed a couple of impressive balls, including one on the sideline to Hykeem Williams in tempo drills that were in a good spot for his receiver to make an outstanding play over a defensive back. He was slinging effortless deep balls while throwing to the receivers on air in a period where he got some props from his head coach. In general, it feels like Uiagalelei is picking up the offense at a solid pace.

— Brock Glenn was off-target early in practice but picked up his level of play as the day continued. He was at his best in team drills and showed off an improving sense of awareness in the pocket. On a play where the defense brought pressure off the edges, Glenn climbed the pocket and worked laterally to his left before hitting Jaylin Lucas on the sideline. He fired a bullet to Kyle Morlock in 7-on-7 that the tight end secured before Conrad Hussey was able to get in for a deflection. Glenn also had two scrambles where he got into the open field and reminded everyone about his athleticism.

— It feels like Luke Kromenhoek is settling in more and more. He can absolutely sling it and delivered an accurate ball in a tight window to Vandrevius Jacobs on the sideline for a catch. I like the way he takes a step in the right direction with each practice.

— This was definitely the best practice that running back Lawrance Toafili has had this spring. Obviously, he's coming off an injury that required surgery over the offseason and is a known commodity in a backfield that is still feeling out some of the vast options at its disposal. Toafili was hitting holes with a decisiveness that had Mike Norvell fired up on Tuesday. He put a spin move on Marvin Jones Jr. to get away from the defender on a play where Lucas Simmons and Bryson Estes dominated the left side. Toafili had multiple big plays that he created with his vision and elusiveness.

— I also thought this was the most that veteran wide receiver Kentron Poitier has shown up in a single practice so far. He's another skill player working his way back from injury woes amidst a room that is filled with talent. Poitier pulled down a ridiculous one-handed grab in the end zone with Azareye'h Thomas all over him. Thomas was in a good position but Poitier made an even better play. The Seminoles need the former 'King of the Spring' to consistently establish himself each day.

— Jaylin Lucas just keeps showing off his wheels. It feels like he's good for one to two bursts per practice where he gets into the open field and explodes. At one point, he found a little space to the left side and was gone up the sideline before anyone could blink. Lucas is also a threat out of the backfield, displaying some nifty routes in 1-on-1's and 7-on-7 along with a couple tough catches in team drills.

— Samuel Singleton is a running back with plenty of speed as well. He still has work to do with his vision but when he gets loose, he's fun to watch. Singleton had a carry early in practice where he cut up the left side and got into space.

— Landen Thomas dropped a pass in the end zone during 1-on-1's and Norvell got in his ear, imploring him to finish the play. Later in practice, he responded by hauling in a pass over the middle. Thomas also got praise for his blocking effort in a drill against the defensive line and linebackers.

— True freshman quarterback Trever Jackson delivered a pass out to Jalen Brown near the sideline. Brown juked the defender and had an explosive burst to turn it into a big play. Brown had another grab where he worked back to the football in a crowd of defensive backs.

— I think Jeremiah Byers looks a lot more confident and he's becoming an anchor at right tackle. He's been one of the more consistent members of the offensive line this spring. Byers won reps against Justin Cryer and Patrick Payton in 1-on-1's, including one where he knocked the bulked up defensive end to the ground.

— I like what I'm seeing from younger offensive linemen such as Andre' Otto, Lucas Simmons, and Jayden Todd. Otto and Lucas are taking much-needed steps in the right direction. Julian Armella was also throwing himself into the fire on Tuesday. Bryson Estes helped open up a big run for Kam Davis with a pancake on a linebacker in the middle of the field.

— Brian Courtney is showing signs of growth in the blocking department. He drove Lamont Green Jr. off the ball, getting some props from Norvell and Chris Thomsen.

— Kyle Morlock got off a defender for an end zone grab in 1-on-1's. He also caught a powerful pass from Kromenhoek. BJ Gibson worked inside of his matchup for a score in the period as well.

DEFENSE:

— The string of good practices continues for junior cornerback Azareye'h Thomas. He blanketed Kentron Poitier on a rep in 1-on-1's and was in position for an interception but couldn't quite reel in the pass. Thomas gave up a tough catch that I mentioned earlier and wasn't happy with himself after the play. From there, he dialed in and was solid for the remainder of practice. That included a stick on Kam Davis near the sideline.

— Conrad Hussey, Cai Bates, and walk-on Christian White picked off passes in 1-on-1's. Hussey displayed good instincts and ball skills to nag one in the corner of the end zone. Bates was in the right spot on a pass that bounced off a wide receivers hands. White took advantage of an overthrow in the back of the end zone.

— Shyheim Brown had a couple of stops in run coverage. He's always the first to run over and high-five or congratulate defenders coming off the field following possessions. Leadership is about the little things.

— A younger linebacker that some may overlook is redshirt freshman DeMarco Ward. You couldn't miss him on Tuesday as he got in to make a number of plays. Ward laid a nice shot on tight end Brian Courtney early in practice and had a tackle for loss while sticking with Jalen Brown laterally in team drills. He was in the right spot to finish a sack on Brock Glenn on a play where the defense brought pressure and covered Jaylin Lucas out of the backfield before providing a hit right as the ball arrived. Ward was active and I liked his instincts and physicality.

— Mike Norvell liked how DJ Lundy showed up during FSU's first spring scrimmage. He's just super consistent and an important leader on the defense. Lundy plugged up a hole to stop Lawrance Toafili for one of the few times on Tuesday later in the practice.

— It was another one of those days for Darrell Jackson as he wreaked havoc on the offensive line at certain points of practice. The next step for Jackson, according to defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, is to be that version of himself more consistently. With that said, when he's on, he's on. Jackson absolutely obliterated a veteran offensive lineman in pass-rushing 1-on-1's. He combined with Byron Turner Jr. to force a throw into the dirt with some quick pressure.

— Tomiwa Durojaiye continues to display his versatility by taking reps at defensive end and defensive tackle, something that Fuller commended him on following practice. He created a tackle for loss and recorded a sack in team drills in one of his better outings as a Seminole to this point of the spring.

— Ja'Bril Rawls is trending in the right direction ahead of his second year at Florida State. He stuck with Jalen Brown on a deep ball in 1-on-1's before leaping up and deflecting the pass away at the last time. Norvell talked him up after practice.

— I noticed Byron Turner Jr. with a couple of strong reps in 3-on-2's, including one where he used good leverage to fight inside of the offense line. He's certainly raised his level of play and is competing at a high level. That's a good sign with the added talent on the edge.

— Jaden Jones is one of the most improved defenders on the roster according to Norvell and Fuller. He's beginning to make a resurgence after working to overcome a knee injury that he suffered prior to arriving at Florida State. Jones is a lengthy defensive end who is battling to earn a spot in an experienced defensive end room.

— Blake Nichelson was at the forefront of a defensive stop on a fourth and short, helping converge on the middle. He also utilized his athleticism and speed on a pass-rushing rep in 1-on-1's where he faked outside and then cut inside of Lucas Simmons.

— Ashlynd Barker popped Hykeem Williams on the sideline to force an incompletion.

— Aaron Hester's positioning led to him making a stop late in practice. Pressure to the left side forced Samuel Singleton to search for a cutback lane and Hester bottled him up to prevent it.

— Walk-on linebacker AJ Cottrill and defensive tackle KJ Sampson combined to take down Jaylin Lucas for a tackle for loss.

— Walk-on defensive end Xavier Perkins made a couple of plays early on. He put pressure on Luke Kromenhoek to force a bad throw and came back with what could've been considered a tackle for loss on Lucas in a real game scenario. He only tagged the running back since the defenders typically don't take offensive players to the ground in practice to limit injury risk. Regardless, it shows that the entirety of the roster has the skill to produce on any given day.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the spring

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