Although the first-team defense might have gotten the best of the starting offense, Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins were very pleased with the play of the second-team offense in Saturday's second spring scrimmage.

Players like backup quarterbacks A.J. Duffy and Tate Rodemaker, running backs Trey Benson and D.J. Williams, and receivers Kentron Poitier and Johnny Wilson, all received praise for their performances.

“The second offense, I thought they did a remarkable job," Norvell said after the game-like scrimmage. "Really did a good job of moving the ball, had some explosive plays, big runs. Created some big passes and opportunities there.

"I like what I am seeing from that group, and it speaks to the depth that we have and the competition that we have across the board.”

***Don't miss out on any of our great Football and Recruiting coverage. Get your 30-day FREE trial***

Starting with the quarterbacks, Norvell said he continues to be impressed by Rodemaker's rapid development. After working as the fourth-string quarterback for most of his first two years on campus, Rodemaker has gotten the opportunity lead the second-team offense for much of this spring, and those added reps -- with better players around him -- are only helping his cause.

"It's been huge. He's doing what I expected him to do. … I saw steps last year of what he was doing,” Norvell said. “I knew this was going to be a big spring for him. Like I said, the confidence, the execution, he's not a finished product. He still has a lot of work that he’s got to continue to do. But seeing him come in and the way that he's growing … I’m impressed.”

Added Atkins: “What we like when we talk about Tate is we like that he’s getting better each day. Tate is a little bit different, because its big strides.”

The coaches also were much happier with the play of freshman signal-caller A.J. Duffy on Saturday after what Norvell described as a less-than-stellar practice the last time out.

"I got to jump on him a little bit after Thursday's practice," Norvell said. "Because I thought there were times where he maybe wasn't his best. And he just came out and responded today. Did some really good things. Made some checks in the run game that -- for a high school senior, some of the things we ask our quarterbacks to do -- he is really impressive."

Duffy also delivered one of the best passes of the day, when he was backed up near his own goal line and connected with Kentron Poitier.

"That's a big-time play in the moment," Norvell said. "Just excited about some of the steps of what he's doing."

That completion also was significant for Poitier, a redshirt sophomore who has only caught eight passes the past two seasons -- four in 2020 and four in 2021. The 6-foot-3, 209-pound wideout has shown glimpses of his potential in the past, but he appears to be gaining more and more trust from the Seminoles' coaches this spring.

“It’s really just the consistency of that body control, creating separation," Norvell said. "People don’t realize, Kentron, he’s still relatively new to football. … Now it’s time for him to let that confidence show up.”

Reserve running back D.J. Williams, who flashed on Thursday with a few long breakaway runs, had a good scrimmage as well on Saturday, according to Norvell.

“I tell you, D.J. Williams has put together two really, really good practices back to back and had an explosive touchdown,” Norvell said. “He’s running faster, moving better than what he has.”

Norvell and Atkins also had positive things to say Saturday about transfers Johnny Wilson and Mycah Pittman at wide receiver, Trey Benson at running back, and several backup offensive linemen.

*ALSO SEE: Five additional takeaways from FSU Football's second spring scrimmage

And while much of the interest from fans and media is centered around the depth chart, and who will win each of the starting jobs, Norvell said he is more focused on building quality depth. Which is why he was so pleased by what the second-team offense did on Saturday.

“We need more than 11 guys,” Norvell said. “We’re going to play with tempo, play with speed, opportunities for guys in the skill positions. I don’t see it as a 'one' and 'two' unit as much.”

FSU returns to the practice fields on Tuesday afternoon. The annual Garnet and Gold game is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. ET inside Doak Campbell Stadium.

---------------------------------------------------

Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council