FSU football prepares for first fall scrimmage | 4 things to know from day 8 of fall camp

liam rooney, tallahassee democrat

Fri, Aug 2, 2024, 7:31 PM·4 min read

All eyes were on Saturday night's scrimmage as Florida State football finished its eighth fall practice Friday morning.

The pads were off and special teams were the focus as the Seminoles prepared for the first team scrimmage of the fall. While practice was light, there were still some key moments in both drills and team activities as the offense bounced back from a slow day on Thursday.

FSU's defense still forced a few turnovers as the unit continues to impress.

Here are four things to know from day eight of the Seminoles' fall camp.

Special teams a focus ahead of first fall scrimmage

There was a heavy emphasis on special teams Friday, with kick and punt return the primary focus.

While players like Malik Benson, Jaylin Lucas, Roydell Williams and Micahi Danzy took turns fielding kicks, the focus from head coach Mike Norvell and the coaching staff was on getting alignment and punt protection right. There were a few occasions where the play was stopped dead before the ball sailed out of the JUGS machine, but overall it looked a clean day on the punting front.

In both field goal and kickoff work, kicker Ryan Fitzgerald and freshman Jake Weinberg had steady days as the two have shown good reliability in the opening week of fall camp.

Since the start of camp, Norvell has put a lot of focus and work into special teams as the Seminoles look to create opportunities on that front.

Versatility is a priority for linebackers

Florida State football players participate in fall practice at the Albert J. Dunlap on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.

While the defensive backs and defensive line dominated the early days of practice, the linebacking room has come up with a few solid performances in camp heading into the scrimmage.

Linebacker's coach Randy Shannon said that he wants every member of his position group to be able to play in multiple spots, whether it be as an inside or outside linebacker or being able to help out the defensive line. Shannon said the early focus in the fall was on drilling that versatility into his players.

The arrival of Cam Riley from Auburn has elevated the group, as the veteran linebacker has adapted to life with FSU quickly. In a room of young talent including Blake Nichelson and Justin Cryer, Riley has been a key presence for the young players to learn from.

"He's been catching on really quick," Nichelson said. "I'm really excited for him and try to see how he is going to be when the season comes around."

Nichelson has been a player that Norvell and Shannon have been happy with this fall, with the sophomore looking more up to speed after his freshman season.

DJ Uiagalelei leads a better day for the offense

Florida State football players participate in day two of fall pracice at the Albert J. Dunlap center on Friday, July 26, 2024

It was a day to forget for the Seminoles offense on Thursday, and on Friday the mistakes that presented challenges to the FSU offense previously seemed to be mostly absent.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei led an improved offense as he showed good control of the tempo in team drills. In pass-catching drills, he rattled off five identical throws to the coach acting as the wide receiver, following that up with some nice finds in team competition, connecting well with Benson and Jalen Brown.

The wide receivers as a whole looked sharper, with drops coming less frequently after a tough day on Thursday. Benson and Brown both played well, showing good speed to create yardage on short passes and by also getting downfield to allow Uiagalelei to show off his deep ball.

Lawrance Toafili again showed why he is one of the key players on the team, making some big plays out of the backfield as a pass catcher. He led the way for the running back room which had a strong day overall, despite not having the big runs we have seen often in the first week of camp.

FSU Defense continues to force turnovers, come up with big plays

Forcing turnovers has been a big part of the Seminoles' defense early in fall camp, with defensive backs showing good vision to grab a handful of interceptions. The defense has shown good hands to force some dropped balls and even create fumbles by punching the ball out.

On Friday, the group came up with one interception as redshirt freshman Edwin Joseph jumped what looked like a miscommunication on a route, taking the ball back to the endzone for a pick-six. On the defensive line, it looked like Patrick Payton got his hand on a pass thrown by Uiagalelei, knocking the ball down at the line of scrimmage.

The offensive line held well against the pass rush, in limited capacity of course since the pads were off, but the linebackers and secondary came up with some nice plays. There were a handful of plays from the offense that never truly got running because of solid, tight coverage from the defense.