Norvell 'excited' about future after wrapping up FSU spring practice

The Florida State football team won't have another practice for almost four months.

And when the Seminoles do return to start preseason prep in early August, they'll have a few new faces on the roster. But by and large, they'll have the same squad that wrapped up spring practice on Tuesday afternoon.

After Saturday's Garnet & Gold Game, head coach Mike Norvell wanted to conduct one more practice before entering the offseason.

He said he liked what he saw. Not just from the practice on Tuesday, but from the spring as a whole.

"I thought that was a really good work day from the mental aspect of it," Norvell said. "And I just like where our guys are at. I really appreciate the work they had, I appreciate the mindset, the mentality.

"We had the one practice there about halfway through it where we didn't bring the intensity to the level that I expect. ... And they responded. They responded throughout the rest of the spring. I thought we got better throughout each of the practices."

Don't miss out on any of our great Football coverage. Get your 30-day FREE trial

After reviewing the film, Norvell said he liked what he saw in the spring game as well.

Obviously, the first-team defense had its way with the first-team offense. But overall, the head coach said the film from the game told him what he thought it would -- especially when it comes to starting quarterback Jordan Travis.

"I actually liked how he performed," Norvell said. "He was going to the right spots. He was putting the ball in good places. I thought Tate (Rodemaker) -- really the same thing. There's a couple of routes that we've got to clean up details on, but you see the growth. ...

"And defensively, I loved it. I thought the first-team defense was phenomenal. They ran to the ball hard. Played physical. That's what jumped out to me when I went back and watched it -- the effort, the physicality."

Norvell said he intentionally went with three straight practices leading up to the spring game to test his team in that regard. He said the Thursday practice was maybe the most physical of the entire spring, featuring 20 goal-line plays in a row.

They followed that up with another practice on Friday, then the spring game on Saturday. Then another practice on Tuesday. And now the spring is over.

After the final practice, Norvell was asked what he had learned about his team this spring, and what he thought was its identity.

"This is a team that works," he said. "And they've responded to the challenges that have been presented. I tried to challenge these guys daily. I want them to be uncomfortable. I want to see them in moments where they're getting coached really hard and you're emphasizing certain points: Are you seeing the proper response of what you're asking them to do or are they hearing you but maybe not listening to the things that need to be done?

"But this group, when you identify things that have to improve, I've seen them really put focus towards it. So, I'm excited about this group. I'm excited about the guys we have."

There are no doubt some other guys coming as well.

Norvell's roster isn't set by any means. Not in 2022. Not with the way the transfer portal has changed the sport.

Not only will the Seminoles almost certainly lose players to the portal, but they'll likely gain a few more as well. And they'll also be welcoming a handful of high school recruits who didn't enroll in January -- offensive linemen Julian Armella, Qaeshon Sapp and Jaylen Early, and tight end Jerrale Powers.

But for the most part, the players he was talking to at the end of practice on Tuesday were the same players he'll be talking to when the preseason opens up in August.

"You never know what will happen moving forward, but the majority of our team is here and in place," Norvell said. "And I like the work we were able to get in and excited as this group continues to grow together. If they continue to push to that standard, it's going to be fun to watch them grow and perform."

----------------------------------------------------

Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council