FSU WR Kentron Poitier taking big steps for Seminoles
It has taken just over a week for Kentron Poitier to stake his claim as one of the top receivers on the Florida State offense.
When preseason camp began with split practices, the returning freshman wasn't working with the veterans during the first three days. He wasn't working with the two quarterbacks, Jordan Travis and McKenzie Milton, who are competing for the starting spot.
Instead, he was part of the second group, which consisted mainly of newcomers and walk-ons.
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FSU coach Mike Norvell said at the time that the split squads weren't necessarily an indication of who would be viewed as key contributors this season. And that has been obvious over the last few days, particularly in Poitier's case.
The Miami product has been very productive during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, catching big passes against a range of different defensive backs.
"You look at how little he's played the game ... from only playing a couple of years in high school," Norvell said, "and what he's been able to do after his first year. Last year, he got game experience, but there were a lot of things he was kind of forced into. You see his confidence growing. You see his physical development really developing.
"And I'm excited about where he is. I think he has a huge upside."
Poitier played in six games a season ago and finished with four catches for 39 yards.
He clearly wasn't ready to be a contributor as a true freshman in 2020, but still got valuable game experience.
If the last week is any indication, Poitier is ready now.
According to Norvell, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound wideout had four days in a row where he made at least one explosive play down the field. And that was before the scrimmage, in which he made another big play.
He's also routinely made the consistent plays in practice.
On Tuesday, he had two catches in which he hauled in passes that were behind him, but still managed to hang on for sizeable gains across the middle of the field.
And on Thursday, he had a drop on a pass from Milton, but then came right back on the same series and caught a pass in the middle of the field for a first down.
"My confidence," Poitier said Friday, when asked about his improvement. "Last year I wasn't too sure. I was thinking too much about the plays, not focusing on catching the ball. But now I'm comfortable with the system, and all I've got to do now is catch the ball. That's my main focus now."
Poitier started to come on at the end of spring practice, making a couple of highlight reel catches on passes down the sideline, and he has seemingly carried that over into the first half of preseason camp.
Veterans Keyshawn Helton and Ontaria Wilson figure to be two of the main pass-catchers for the Seminoles in 2021. But those third and fourth spots are wide open, and Poitier figures to be right there in the mix.
"Yeah, I feel very confident in everything," he said. "Back shoulder, across the middle, just catch the ball and react."
Norvell ‘confident’ about hitting team vaccination standard
One day after the Atlantic Coast Conference unveiled its new COVID protocols for the upcoming football season, Norvell said he’s “confident” the Seminoles will reach the important 85 percent vaccination threshold by the time they open the 2021 season against Notre Dame.
“We’re getting closer to that point,” Norvell said. “I feel good about where we are and where we’ll be, especially heading into that first game. … We definitely are looking forward to hitting that mark, and we feel very confident that, as we progress, that we’re going to be able to do so.”
According to the ACC guidelines, schools that have 85 percent of their team fully vaccinated are permitted to relax certain COVID mitigation strategies, such as wearing masks during meetings and spacing players out during travel. Vaccinated players will not be subjected to surveillance testing.
“Unvaccinated individuals on a team with a vaccination rate less than 85 percent must be tested a minimum of three times per week with a molecular (PCR) test,” according to the conference. “Unvaccinated individuals on a team with a vaccination rate at or greater than 85 percent must be tested once per week. Additional testing of unvaccinated individuals is at the discretion of the institution.
If teams are unable to play this season because of COVID infections or contact tracing, the ACC announced those games will be forfeited and count as losses. The opposing team will be awarded a victory.
Encouraging health update
With just over two weeks remaining before the start of the 2021 season, Norvell said the Seminoles feel good about the overall health of the team. While some players have missed practices here or there due to ailments or needed rest, he said they, “don’t have any concerns with anybody that we’ve started [camp] with.”
And he added that he has been receiving “very promising reports” about players who have been rehabbing.
“When guys are unavailable, it provides a new opportunity for others,” Norvell said. “We’re getting a lot of guys quality reps. I’m excited about the depth we’re continuing to build.”
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