Notes: Verse talks the talk, walks the walk
Jared Verse was the biggest defensive name in the transfer portal this offseason. A pass rusher with exceptional athleticism, Verse knew he wanted to push himself at the Power 5 level. He knew full well there would be an adjustment from Albany but it didn’t hit him until spring practice and he took a look at the Florida State players.
“When I first got here, it was a hit in the face,” Verse said. “FCS is still DI, it’s a heavy program. There’s a lot of players at the FCS level that could play at the FBS level. But then when you go here where everyone was ranked, or a star player, a really good player, because everyone is at this school for a reason. No one is here by luck. It’s kind of like a hit in the face, ‘Everyone is really good.’ You have to up your level of competition, up your effort.”
Verse does just that each day. Flashing a smile, bringing loads of enthusiasm and, yes, plenty of trash talk, Verse offers the opportunity to pressure the passer off the edge but he also brings a competitive edge to the Seminoles.
During the FCS’ spring and fall seasons in 2021, Verse had a combined 74 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. Verse arrived in January and showed he was willing to make the daily push. He sees “how hard everybody worked in the offseason” and noted the intensity of the competition in 1-on-1s and team settings between the offensive and defensive lines.
And what makes competition more fun, Verse says, is bringing some trash talk.
“You just got to know that person,” Verse said. “You got to know a little bit about them. What kind of gets them. Each person I talk to differently. Some people, I’m silent with them because they want me to say something to them. So I just won’t say anything and I will just smile and walk away.”
Among his favorites to verbally spar? “Treshaun Ward. We always get into it. During the spring it was the most intense. … We were walking off the field, still going at it.”
FSU wrapped up its fourth practice on Sunday morning, taking the field after a day off on Saturday. The Seminoles will practice again on Monday morning but will go full pads on Tuesday morning.
“I can’t wait for full pads,” Verse said. “That’s where everything comes together. That’s when we put all the work that we put in together. Here, it’s just thuds. Now we can actually get into people and see how are form looks, see how are tackling works.”
AZ doing everything from A to Z
Cornerback Azareye’h Thomas has consistently put together a very good camp, building on a spring where he arrived as an early enrollee and learned quickly. Thomas is showing that he is in line for opportunities and on Sunday grabbed a pair of interceptions and forced a fumble.
“Coming in you knew the ability that he has as a playmaker, you watch his high school film, offensive plays, that was really amazing,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “He did so much quality work on the offensive side of the ball. He’s very fluid (in his) movement. He’s explosive. He’s got great ball skills, he finds a knack to be able to put himself in a great position. He had a couple (interceptions) today that I just love what I’m seeing. I’m seeing those positive steps. He plays with a great deal of confidence for a young player.”
Norvell praised Thomas for having a short memory and putting the mistakes behind him, too. “The way he’s able to transition to the next play, that’s a learned skill for some guys,” Norvell said.
Hill's offseason work paying off
FSU announced Rodney Hill at 180 pounds when he signed. The early enrollee quickly dropped to the low 170s soon after arriving but has bulked up to 190 as he makes a push for playing time in what is a crowded backfield.
“He’s got a great work ethic, desire, very smart young man,” Norvell said. “He wants to be great. His body has changed. His confidence is emerging every day. He wants to be good in (pass) protections. He wants to he wants to be a complete back.”
FSU will lean on a trio of Trey Benson, Treshaun Ward and Lawrance Toafili this fall. But as a number of true freshmen have shown at FSU and around the country there are paths to playing time early at tailback.
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