Garnet and Gold Spring Showcase Recap: FSU Football Trades Blows Inside Doak Campbell

The Seminoles close out spring with an offensive and defensive bout.

Florida State held its annual Garnet and Gold Spring Showcase on Saturday, giving the 18,061 fans in attendance a glimpse into Tribe 24 and a sneak peek at the upcoming season. Four guest coaches from the 1999 National Championship Team were present and participated in the grand finale. The event also debuted a new turquoise jersey to represent Seminole Heritage, marking the first time the team featured the jersey on the field inside Doak Campbell Stadium.

READ MORE: FSU Football Quarterbacks Set to Debut Turquoise Heritage Jerseys at Spring Showcase

The showcase doesn't follow a traditional spring game format but did serve as a chance to see how Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei has built up chemistry with the old and new wide receivers. The defense started off strong, with Marvin Jones Jr. getting a tackle for loss, followed by a half-sack from Jones, joined by defensive lineman Byron Turner Jr.

The running game also saw a slight overhaul in the offseason, with running back Trey Benson heading to the NFL. Veteran running backs Lawrance Toafili, Roydell Williams, and Caziah Holmes were able to find the end zone on big plays. At the same time, Indiana transfer Jaylin Lucas showed off his speed and slipperiness between the tackles. Sam Singleton who has put on good weight in the off-season, also showed his physicality on a few big runs.

With redshirt freshman Brock Glenn and freshman Luke Kromenhoek out with minor injuries, freshman Trever Jackson took snaps behind Uiagalelei. He showed poise with a few nice passes, including a 10-yard dart to freshman tight end Landen Thomas.

Perhaps one of Uiagalelei's biggest was a bomb to Alabama transfer wide receiver Malik Benson. The pass was followed by a 35-yard rushing score from Alabama transfer Roydell Williams. Benson would later leave the contest on a cart with what appeared to be a lower leg injury.

Tight end Jackson West, who saw increased playing time at the end of last season, helped move the chains a few times with connections from Uiagalelei. The transfer quarterback also found veteran wide receiver Kentron Poitier for a big gain up the sideline midway through the scrimmage.

Former FSU stars Travis Minor, Tommy Polley, Corey Simon, and Peter Warrick donned the headsets for the grand finale. LSU transfer wide receiver Jalen Brown flashed his speed out of the backfield and has really started to develop throughout the spring. Freshman defensive back Cai Bates also flashed throughout the showcase, along with defensive lineman Aaron Hester with a sack on quarterback Dylan McNamara.

2023 Scout Team Player of the Year KJ Sampson show off his physicality with a sack on Michael Grant and the biggest play of the game came on the last throw of the day. It was a 50-yard touchdown to a wide open Vandrevious Jacobs from walk-on quarterback Michael Grant.

The Seminoles will break for summer workouts and conditioning and will resume practice in July.

READ MORE: Expected Recruiting Visitor List For FSU Football's Garnet & Gold Spring Showcase

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