TALLAHASSEE – Florida State will return to work on Monday as practice resumes following a weekend check-up.
The notebook feature has primarily been a place for us to insert additional news, notes and quotes from the pre-season of FSU. We will do that today, but the focus will be primarily on news comes from the scrimmage with a mixture of Intel we also got.
Here are five things we learned from FSU’s checks …
1. Jay is emerging as a factory at safety
RS Fr. Travis Jay was everywhere on Saturday, making his presence felt from the safety position after working around the corner in the spring.
The former four-star recruit distinguished himself in practice live action and will look to be a factor this season. Renardo Green is also crew from the field safety position, giving FSU a physical and athletic 1-2 punch as Hamsah Nasirildeen (leg) is currently recovering from a season-ending knee injury last year.
“He’s a great body that’s super athletic and he’s a physical attacker,” defense coordinator Adam Fuller said of Jay. ‘He’s what we’re looking for in that position, at free safety, and he’s done a nice job. He handles things pretty well. He is absolutely physical enough and can play the ball well.
‘It’s just days in and of itself put together in a positive way, so he’s made good strides.
2. The Offensive line is still a work in progress
The good news: the offensive line of FSU did not prevent the attack from moving the ball.
However, the line still has a ways to go, because maintaining drive was sometimes problematic (the offense was more dependent on big plays). Mike Norvell allowed that “we are still looking for the right combination” after the check.
It feels like FSU has a good idea of the main components of its top five from now on. We expect Darius Washington en Dontae Lucas work on one side, and Brady Scott en Devontay Love-Taylor to the other. Center has a bit more flexibility at this point, though Baveon Johnson appears to be the forerunner at the moment.
The key seems to be finding three more players who can deliver depth at center, save and tackle. Robert Scott en Thomas Shrader are one of the newcomers who have a chance to make an impact this year, but they are still adjusting to the high school level and it sounded like that was evident on Saturday. Keep them posted while you figure out how some reserves fit into it – e.g. Chaz Neal, Andrew Boselli en Maurice Smith – will become an important component for the rest of camp.
3. Kaindoh keeps blinking
Getting pass-rush production on defensive end, this precision was considered an unknown variable. Who went to the edge to complement FSU’s interior defenders?
Now it seems to be some clarity, and it comes in the form of the hulking and now healthy Joshua Kaindoh. The former blue-chip recruiter has dealt with a variety of adverse injuries (and a serious one that ended his 2019 campaign after several games) throughout his career, but there are indications that he has this camp around the corner turned.
That was the case on Saturday, as Kaindoh regularly made his way into the backfield to disrupt FSU’s misconduct.
‘He flashed. You can really see flashes of him, “said the FSU’s offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham. ‘He’s definitely a guy I’m glad he’s on our team. He’s definitely one of those guys you look up to and say, ‘Okay, I wish he was not in the game at the moment, but I’ll be happy on Saturday.’ ”
4. The linebacker depth is increased
It feels like this is a storyline we’ve been following for a few years now, but there is now a belief that FSU has turned around the linebacker room after some sluggish seasons.
We will see if this group proves a strength, but at least the floor seems to be raised thanks to improvement of veterans and an influx of younger talent.
Fuller and coach Mike Norvell praised the way the defense was attacking, and it sounded like Emmett Reis en Leonard Warner leave the charge. Mar Jaleel McRae, Stephen Dix Jr., DJ Lundy en Kevon Glenn are among the underclassmen who also occasionally flash.
The only aspect that Fuller criticized among this position group was the defense of the perimeter.
“I think our linebacking crew, we have some veterans and we have some really talented young players and you saw that last night,” Fuller said. ‘I think we did a great job trying to execute. They are right in the heart of the defense, they are involved in pass-fit, run-fit, blitz-fit, situational football, line controls. ”
5. Learn about the QB battle
It will be interesting to get Mike Norvell’s thoughts on the QB game after watching the scrimmage movie.
The first word we got is that James Blackman was productive and helped get the ball in the right place to generate some pieces. Freshman Tate Rodemaker had his good moments too, although had some throws he liked to return.
Blackman was the player we projected to become QB1 camp, and it looks like he still holds the lead in this race.
Notes
–Fuller will be on the sidelines as playing callers this season, Dillingham will be in the box.
– It sounds like DT Fabien Lovett will heavily factor in the rotation of FSU. What’s intriguing is that he has the size and athleticism to play both DT spots.
–Norvell will meet with media today at 11:30 p.m. We expect that he will provide an evaluation after inspections and address any newer items such as injuries.
