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Published Mar 12, 2021
Clark: Observations from FSU football's first day in pads
Corey Clark  •  TheOsceola
Lead Writer

Now, this was more like real football.

Unlike the first two days of spring practice, which were in shorts and helmets, Friday's two-hour workout for the Florida State football team was in full pads.

And, in short, it was dominated by the defense.

The offense had a few moments here and there, but overall it was the other side of the ball that was -- by far -- the most effective on Friday afternoon.

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Which, in reality, is probably a good thing for the Seminoles, who had one of the worst defenses in all of Power 5 last year.

Here are some key storylines that stood out Friday to me.

Jermaine Johnson is the truth

We need to start right here. With this dude.

It was only one practice. I get that. And there's still six months before the Seminoles actually play a game. But University of Georgia transfer Jermaine Johnson was the star of the day, in my opinion.

in the Seminoles' expanded version of the Oklahoma drill -- with three levels of blockers and defenders -- he was basically unblockable, making three tackles for loss on all three snaps he took.

He also had a sack in 11-on-11 and had at least two more pressures coming off the edge. And then during the period when the offense was focusing on inside runs, he had two lightning-quick tackles in the backfield as well.

This is great news for FSU in 2021.

Other than quarterback McKenzie Milton, Johnson was probably the highest-profile transfer FSU signed in the offseason. He certainly showed why on Friday, looking like the best player on the field for the majority of the day.

"We couldn't wait to get in pads, especially me," Johnson said afterward. "We were definitely excited to get some shoulder pads on and compete."

Well, maybe not so much for the dudes trying to block him.

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