Welcome to our favorite time of year!

Football camp opens Wednesday at 9:05 am and with it opens a season of hope.

Florida State football is back, both literally and figuratively, as the Noles return 77 players from the 2023 squad that enjoyed a perfect 13-0 season before the grinch stole the presents from under the Christmas tree. But now the 2024 season has finally arrived and with it a clean slate.

I suspect it is your favorite time of year too.

The sweltering heat. The smell of fresh-cut grass. And perspiration. These senses evoke memories of the August two-a-day practices of our youth, when water was forbidden and salt tablets were handed out by the fistful. And everyone was undefeated.

While college football has changed dramatically in the past few years, the opening of camp is still exciting, still filled with hope for the upcoming journey. Every player, coach, equipment manager, trainer and sportswriter will have more pep in their step Wednesday.

The Seminoles are back. A 10-win season, followed by a 13-1 season, is evidence the Seminoles are back in the conference championship and 12-team playoff conversation.

The return of Mike Norvell for his fifth season is a reason to be excited we should not take for granted. How sincere was Alabama’s interest in Norvell as Nick Saban’s replacement, we’ll never know. What we know is Florida State signed Norvell to a long-term contract and his coaching staff has returned intact once again.

Never take continuity for granted.

Florida State has five starters returning on the offensive line. When was the last time you could say that? And there’s real competition at each of the positions, competition between players capable of becoming starters. I won’t go into a position breakdown as you can read what Pat Burnham has written here.

While Florida State lost Jared Verse, Braden Fiske and Fabien Lovett on the defensive front, defensive line coach Odell Haggins and defensive ends coach John Papuchis return three starters who could become the most productive in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season and later in the 2025 NFL Draft. You can read Pat Burnham’s preseason preview of the defensive tackles here.

I love defense so I cannot wait to see defensive end Patrick Payton on one side and Marvin Jones Jr. on the other. I have a feeling those two will have “car crashes at the quarterback,” as former defensive ends coach Jim Gladden liked to say about Peter Boulware and Reinard Wilson. “I want to hear glass smash.”

Payton mentioned how impressed he was with former defensive ends Jermaine Johnson and Jared Verse’s work ethic. Now, I’m looking to see if Payton can take the next step in his development and turn quarterback pressures and batted down passes into sacks and turnovers.

For all the details on the defensive ends, check out Curt Weiler’s breakdown here.

Opposing offensive lines won’t be able to focus on Payton and Jones exclusively. If they do, best friends Josh Farmer and Darrell Jackson will become free runners inside.

Farmer, Jackson, Jones and Payton will make life easier for DJ Lundy and whichever linebackers are in the game, as that front four is stout enough to command double teams, which free up linebackers to run. There are nine linebackers competing to play including two promising transfers, so you know where to find me. You can read my preview here.

My interest is always raised when you have a quarterback who has proven game experience and a track record to build on. DJ Uiagalelei brings that experience. Now that he’s been through a spring practice with Norvell, as well as summer work outs, I go into fall camp believing Norvell has crafted a game plan to emphasize what best suit DJU’s skillset just like he did with Jordan Travis. Bob Ferrante wrote this preview of DJU including some lingering questions we’ll be watching this week.

We’re all curious to see the competition between FSU’s future starting quarterbacks who need to prepare like they’ll be called on to start at some point this year.

Every good coach will also tell you close games are decided by one of your kicking teams. Florida State is blessed this year to have both their punter Alex Mastromano, an All American candidate, and kicker Ryan Fitzgerald returning. They also have talented athletes vying for the opportunity to return punts and kicks as well as block and tackle. It's one of five reasons why we think FSU will be in the 12-team playoff.

As Bob Ferrante wrote in his preview of FSU’s secondary, the Seminoles have four outstanding players returning at safety and corner, guys who will be drafted one day, and a plethora of younger talent vying for playing time in the base defense and on special teams, so I go into the fall camp looking to see how fast the leaders and coaches can pick up where they left off in 2023.

One guy I’m particularly interested in seeing in Garnet and Gold again is Omarion “Duke” Cooper, who transferred to Colorado for a season, before asking to transfer back.

"He didn't want any guarantees, he just wanted an opportunity and I respect that,” said Norvell, who admits he was disappointed when Cooper transferred out. “He's a great young man that it's definitely meant to be for him to end his career as a Florida State Seminole."

Of course. You need a little salt and pepper, a little sweet and sour, to make the college football season interesting and exciting.

I go into camp just as excited about the positions I have questions about as those I feel are locked down.

Curt Weiler gives us a preview of the receivers, and while there are questions there’s no lack of talented bodies to challenge for the conference championship and later in the playoffs.

FSU lost Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, two giant targets with expansive catch radiuses, who made specific passing situations easier on the quarterback. Just throw it in their vicinity and let their length and athleticism move the chains. FSU didn’t have that guy in spring practice. What FSU has is more speed and three big-framed receivers you hope will pick up where Wilson and Coleman left off. That’s what makes fall camp fun, watching to see if the big-bodied veterans Hykeem Williams, Darion Williamson and Kentron Poitier, or incoming freshman Elijah Moore, can elevate themselves in those situations.

I’m really curious to see what the speed guys — Malik Benson and Jalen Brown — will add to Norvell’s playbook. Let’s be honest, speed was in short supply last year and could be a real game changer with DJU’s long-ball ability. Benson qualified for the high school state championships in the 100, 200, 4x100 relay, 400 and long jump, so he’s quick. Brown won the regional championship in the 100-meter dash during his sophomore season and qualified for the state championship in the 200-meter dash. And I won’t sleep on Camdon Frier, who has turned pro baseball scout’s heads with documented speed on the basepaths.

While those are the guys we’ll be watching, I have a feeling guys like Ja’Khi Douglas and his brother, Jaylin Lucas, will consistently make their presence known.

"The receiver position is one I'm really excited about. I'm excited about the guys we have in the room," Norvell said at the ACC Kickoff. "But who's going to emerge, who is going to take that step, who is going to be that consistency of performance, of execution? When you need the play, who is ready to rise up and be that go-to guy?"

You may have questions about the tight end position which features six players who are 6-4, 235 or larger, led by Kyle Morlock and Jackson West. We know FSU’s tight ends can run routes and catch. We know they are willing blockers. And we know Norvell has been creative with the use of tight ends during his career, so I’m interested to see how he uses them this fall.

And along the way we’ll watch for this team to find its identity. While the Seminoles have 77 former players returning from the 2023 team, including some of its leaders, the 2023 season is over and the 2024 team will have to craft their own identity. Much of the work to craft that identity has already been accomplished in the offseason conditioning program, spring practice and off-season drills, so it will be interesting to see how the 2024 identity blossoms in August preseason drills.

Sign up for the Osceola's free daily email newsletters

Follow The Osceola on Facebook

Follow The Osceola on Twitter

Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel

Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple