There were times during Alex Atkins' first two seasons as Florida State's offensive line coach that he had a difficult time finding enough healthy bodies to form a first and second string.
As recently as last fall, there were days when the Seminoles had walk-ons taking first-team reps in practice to give ailing starters a break.
On Wednesday, during Florida State's first practice of the 2022 preseason, Atkins must have felt like that was a lifetime ago. Or a really bad dream.
After bringing in 10 new linemen this offseason -- six through the high school ranks and four via college transfer -- FSU had 21 linemen taking part in practice.
That group still included a few walk-ons, but the vast majority were scholarship players. And at least eight have played a lot of college football already coming into this season.
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"When you have that type of competition and you have guys that can go in and you saw today we split a lot during practice. To have quality depth and guys that can go in there and compete," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. "Making sure that you’re getting good looks. ... For those guys to get to work together, just so much teaching. Able to provide us a lot of opportunities to get them reps and to build upon those experiences. It’s definitely a great benefit there.”
Because there is some disparity in terms of experience, and because it's easier to teach in smaller groups, Atkins took the top 11 linemen -- the veterans and most experienced players -- for parts of practice, while graduate assistant Cooper Williams worked with the younger group just a few feet away.
And several of the newcomers are extremely impressive physically. Eighteen of the Seminoles' offensive linemen weigh at least 300 pounds, and that includes summer transfers Jazston Turnetine of South Carolina (6-foot-7, 336 pounds) and D'Mitri Emmanuel from Charlotte (6-2, 300).
The improved depth doesn't mean additional time for rest during practice. By splitting the players into groups, there are plenty of reps to go around.
At one point early in Wednesday's practice, with the afternoon heat beating down and a few players starting to feel the effects, Atkins encouraged them to fight through the elements.
"Guys, we don't compete until the end of practice," he yelled. "We're just getting started!"
On Tuesday, one day before camp began, Atkins said the biggest thing he likes about his group isn't just the depth, but the way the entire segment has come together with a common purpose.
"They're together, they're meeting together. So that fires me up more than anything," he said.
Bethune 'full speed' after groin surgery
UCF transfer Tatum Bethune was one of the most encouraging additions to the Florida State roster this spring.
It didn't take long during those practices in March and April to understand how he was able to rack up more than 100 tackles last season for the Knights. With an impressive combination of intelligence, instincts and athletic ability, the Miami native emerged immediately as a likely starter at inside linebacker.
What we didn't know at the time was he was doing all of that while nursing a painful groin injury.
After Wednesday's practice, Bethune opened up about the nagging injury, the surgery he underwent in April to repair it, his rehab during the summer and how he's feeling entering the 2022 preseason.
"I had been playing with it since last season, so I got that fixed. I’ve been rehabbing during the summer," Bethune said. "Towards the end, I started running and I’ve been able to do what I’ve usually been able to do. This summer has been kind of tough a little bit; ain’t nothing I haven’t seen before. It was good. I was still around my brothers. They kept me going."
In particular, Bethune singled out returning starting linebacker Kalen DeLoach with encouraging him throughout the process.
"He’s behind my back every time," Bethune said. "Sometimes I have some hard days, sometimes I feel good. It was good being around the team. They kept me going.”
While he isn't yet totally pain-free, the UCF transfer said he didn't have any issues getting through Wednesday's practice and he is full-go moving forward.
"I am able to go, and that’s all that matters right now," he said. "I’m full speed. I did everything today. I’m full speed.”
LB Lundy a new man
Mike Norvell spoke highly of several players' offseason development when he met with reporters on Tuesday, on the eve of the first practice. But he sounded especially excited about the transformation of redshirt sophomore linebacker D.J. Lundy.
When he started 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2021, Lundy was listed at 6-foot-1 and 255 pounds. He now checks in at 6-1 and 232.
"Just wait 'til you see him tomorrow," Norvell said on Tuesday. "The definition in his body build. the conditioning level. The things that we have really challenged him to take ownership in, he did."
Norvell isn't the only one to notice.
Said Bethune: “I grabbed D.J. Lundy one day in the weight room and I told him like, 'Bro, you look good.' I was proud of him. 'Keep working.' I didn’t know D.J. Lundy for a long time, but I understand what he came from and what he looked like before. And now to see him with a full six-pack and it’s just like, sorry for my language, but damn. You worked your ass off.”
FSU will return to the practice fields for Day 2 of preseason camp later this afternoon.
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