FSU senior WR Nyqwan Murray looking, feeling like old self again

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The way Willie Taggart spoke the night before Florida State opened preseason camp, many were left wondering whether Nyqwan Murray would even be ready for the season opener against Virginia Tech.

That next morning, the senior wide receiver went out and ran routes like he was the best wideout on the team. His cuts were sharp and exact. His top-end speed looked as fast as ever.

There has been plenty of talk this preseason about other players in the Seminoles' wide receiver corps -- primarily the freakish Tamorrion Terry and the surprising Keyshawn Helton -- but Murray has used the first week-and-a-half of practice to remind folks that he can be a game-changer, too.

He's still not going through contact drills after recovering from a knee injury on the first day of spring practice. But in the drills he is allowed to participate in, including one-on-ones, he looks like the old "Noonie."

"I feel great," Murray said before practice on Tuesday at the IMG Academy in Bradenton. "I'm on track to play in the first game. And (the knee) is right where I want it to be at."

That's a big deal for Florida State's offense. Because Murray has proven he can be a big-time player at this level.

During the second half of the 2016 season, he was arguably the best player on the Florida State offense not named Dalvin Cook. He finished that year with 27 catches for 441 yards and five touchdowns -- including the game-winner against Michigan in the Orange Bowl.

Last year, he had 40 catches for 604 yards and three TDs. Not terrible numbers by any means, but not All-America stats either. Certainly not up to the expectations of Murray, who before the season let it be known that he believed he was one of the premier receivers in the country.

Now, it's his last season to prove it. And he feels extremely fortunate to have that opportunity.

It was only a few months ago that Murray sustained his non-contact knee injury in practice and feared that he might have suffered a season-ending torn ACL.

"Because it was my first time ever having a big injury," Murray said. "Especially a knee injury. You know how that is. I was pretty scared."

Even though he got relatively good news when the injury was evaluated, Murray said it was difficult to watch his teammates practice the rest of the spring. He explained that he hates "just watching football."

"It took me a while to get over it," Murray said. "But I'm good now. I'm back."