One of the few parts of the Florida State football team that the media does not get access to is FSU’s Sunday night practices, which the coaching staff says are for the players who did not play in more than 20 percent of the snaps. On Tuesday, the football team went through as close to a Sunday practice as possible, with the underclassman going through about 30 minutes of drills on their own before the starters joined them.

The portion offered a glimpse into the future with Luke Kromenhoek throwing seeds to the young pass-catchers like Elijah Moore and Amaree Williams, along with the freshman defensive backs making plays on the ball, carrying over the same energy that the relatively older guys play with, like Quindarrius Jones and Edwin Joseph. It also gave insight into the need for better recruiting in the front seven and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins’ need to develop raw but physically talented linemen. After practice, Mike Norvell discussed what he liked about the developmental portion.

“I thought it was really good work with the guys that haven’t played as much and guys that are still pushing. Obviously, focusing on the fundamentals, communication. Just trying to get out there and see guys grow and emerge.”

Once the older guys joined the group, the defense owned the line of scrimmage and the offense for most of the day. The secondary did not make the same mistakes they did against Clemson, staying tight to the receivers and making multiple interceptions and pass break-ups during the morning. The defensive front ate up blocks and swallowed up the run game for most of practice as FSU struggled to find continuity. Brock Glenn missed some throws earlier but responded and took command for the final seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 periods to end Tuesday. His supporting cast made his life harder than needed, but he threw with anticipation and confidence once he found a rhythm. Norvell also reviewed what he saw from Glenn on film after re-watching Saturday’s game.

“I thought his response over the course of the game was really good. After the interception to come back the next drive with a touchdown drive and some big throws. There were some things where obviously guys have to help that position.”

During a shorter practice, three themes stood out.

No. 1: Young Pass Catchers

Early during the developmental period, it became clear that Amaree Williams and Landen Thomas did not belong on the field with the newcomers. Williams made the day’s first catch in one-on-ones by high-pointing a ball over the smaller linebacker, sending his practice off and running. He just stuck out his hand in his next rep, and the ball found him for a one-handed touchdown. Not to be outdone, Landen Thomas received the first completion of seven-on-seven from Luke Kromenhoek, and their chemistry popped throughout the morning.

The young receivers also turned heads, such as summer enrollee Elijah Moore, who came down with two catches in the developmental period, including a toe tap grab on the sideline that Kromenhoek barely managed to fit in. Hykeem Williams and DJ Uiagalelei came out to the early portion of practice to help the underclassmen and constantly fed tips to Moore.

Once the older guys came out, their rep count shrunk, but the freshman tight ends continued to make plays. It continues to be mind-boggling that they did not receive all the playing time when Kyle Morlock committed multiple drops Tuesday, and Brian Courtney had the ball ripped away from him by a defender during seven-on-seven, resulting in an interception. After practice, Norvell talked about what he saw from the newcomers.

“The young receivers are continuing to push and get better. Obviously, the tight ends are building off what they did the other day…We are here with opportunity and there is an excitement throughout the team for opportunity.”

While they are obviously not receivers, Kromenhoek and Trever Jackson received most of the work during the developmental period. The former’s ability to throw a football immediately jumps out as he changes the arm angle and fits difficult throws into tight windows. They both worked through inconsistency and poor decision-making, but that should be expected in this environment.

No. 2: Secondary

The pass defense never took the next step from their 2023 season, and another below-average performance against Clemson capped off a bad beginning of the campaign. However, they never make mistakes during the games in practice, and Patrick Surtain’s unit put on another clinic on Tuesday.

During seven-on-seven, Adam Fuller yelled to the group to “go get the ball,” and they did just that. The corners created at least four pass break-ups as they continually ripped the ball out of the WR’s hands, resulting in incompletions. They brought the trademark energy, especially by Jones, who matched up with Malik Benson most of the day and got in his face each time he won a rep. The sticky coverage prevented Glenn from throwing the ball numerous times as either the coaching staff whistled the play dead or he needed to tuck the ball and run. Norvell commented on their day after practice.

“I really do like the young defensive back group. You see guys flying around and starting to play with more confidence, technique, and coverages in communication.”

It also helped their performance when the receivers and older tight ends scuffled like they did at practice. The media debated how many drops the units produced, and the magic number was nine by the end of the day. Benson let a ball touch the turf wide open over the middle, and Hykeem Williams also did not secure a catch, which prompted Norvell to drop his head. The defense created two picks because the offense did not finish plays cleanly, popping the passes into the air, and the ball went in the opposite direction. Norvell did not hold back when discussing the group.

“A lot of it is your mind. There’s technique: watch the ball, keep your hands together, catch it, and tuck it all the way in, but you also have to be able to get out of your own mindset. I think that’s showing up with a few guys that we have.”

The bye week should provide the best opportunity to find consistency before the back half of the season begins.

No. 3: Offensive Line Struggles

The Florida State coaching staff and players are still not pressing the right buttons to sort out the issues along the offensive line. The unit could barely find any movement in the running game as the defensive front stopped numerous plays at the line of scrimmage. Even as Coach Norvell called different types of run concepts, the lack of continuity broke through the most as they never found any rhythm. I jotted down only one run over eight yards in my notes to explain the lack of success. Even Norvell, after practice, said the run game through six weeks has been “awful” and “embarrassing.” The pass protection did not look much better as Adam Fuller creatively moved around his fronts and created mismatches. After the morning, Atkins met with the media and offered his talk about his unit’s poor play.

“It starts with me and what position I’m putting them in, who I’ve got out there, and what decisions I make. It starts with assessing these six weeks and watching every run scheme, every run play, and making sure that whatever they’re doing well, I allow them to do that.”

Florida State will practice again tomorrow for their second of two bye-week practices. The full ability of Mike Norvell, Alex Atkins, and the student-athletes can be found below.

Head Coach Mike Norvell

Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Alex Atkins

Video courtesy Noles247

LB Cam Riley

TE Amaree Williams

Video courtesy Warchant.com