I know I'm prone to hyperbole, and I don't want to get ahead of myself here, but I thought the most impressive thing I saw on the first day of Florida State spring practice was A.J. Duffy.

There are some qualifiers I have to get out of the way first: The players were only in helmets. No pads. No hitting. And he was working mainly with the third team against the third team. And in no way do I think he will beat out Jordan Travis or even challenge him for the starting job.

But buddy, there's something there.

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*ALSO SEE: Video footage from Saturday's first practice

The very first snap he took in a live college football practice was in a 7-on-7 drill.

He caught the snap, took two steps back, did a quick scan and then ripped a seam pass down the middle of the field to tight end Markeston Douglas for a 30-yard gain.

Think about what that says about Duffy: He didn't take the safe pass. Or fire the ball toward the sideline. On his very first throw, he read it, saw it and threw it down the middle of the field for a big gain.

That spoke very loudly to me. And to Mike Norvell, it turned out.

When the FSU head coach was asked about the true freshman after practice, he smiled and said, "Really good."

You could tell he was very excited about what he had just seen.

Duffy has a big arm. And he's a big kid. What we didn't know — and frankly still don't — is how quickly he can diagnose what he sees and then throw on time and in rhythm at this level.

We'll see how he progresses. But man, I thought Saturday was really impressive.

"He's a baller," Travis said with a smile when asked about Duffy's performance.

And he admitted he was trying to be a mentor to the early enrollee.

"I'm trying to take him under my wing," Travis said.