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Published Mar 25, 2023
Video with Q&A: Mike Norvell recaps FSU's first spring scrimmage
Curt Weiler  •  TheOsceola
Senior Writer
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@CurtMWeiler

Florida State held its first scrimmage of spring camp Saturday morning inside Doak Campbell Stadium.

Immediately after the scrimmage concluded, FSU head coach Mike Norvell talked to the media about the scrimmage, the players that won the day, how the newcomers handled their first scrimmage and much more.

Here's the full interview (Video courtesy of FSU athletics)

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And here's select quotes from the Norvell interview:

(Backup QBs) "I thought all the quarterbacks did a good job of operating. There are some things that we'll get to go back and watch and see just when it comes to read, ball placement, just the overall management of the offense. I think it's pretty balanced in rep count. AJ (Duffy) and Tate (Rodemaker) got the majority of the ones reps as we're bringing Brock (Glenn) along. He got a lot of reps, was mixed in with the twos and some with the third group. But I thought he did a really good job."

(Evaluating OL play in scrimmage) "We had a couple guys that were held out today up front for various reasons. A couple guys that just were banged up a little bit. So we had some different sequences and who was going with which group, but I thought there were some good things that were done. There were some holes created in the run game, at times we were solid in protection. But like I said, there's just too many negatives in regards to a couple of holding calls, whether there or the tight ends, that hurt us on a couple of plays. Those are things that we can absolutely get better and improve upon, but it was good for us to get that work. I think the guys, they're continuing to gel, continuing to improve. I thought it was a solid performance."

(Rodney Hill) "I thought today was one of his best days of just being confident in all things within the play. In its alignment, the finer details, his tracks. He is a special, special mover. He has a special knack to make people miss. Obviously, when he gets in the open field, he's got to your game-changing acceleration. He put that on display here today. I was in the middle of the field all day. I wanted to get a sense of how guys were operating. He was one of them that coming it into the day, I wanted to get a sense of what was his confidence? How was he in the playcalls and the things that he needed to do? And that was the thing I was most pleased with. The performance and success that he had was great, but it was him being able to take control of the where and what to do in that moment. And then, obviously he did a really nice job of making plays happen when he got the ball in his hands."

(Brock Glenn's first scrimmage) "It was good. Like all first-time quarterbacks, he was live today and so it was a game for him. You got to see his elusiveness, his athleticism, all things got put on display today. The maturity that he brings to the field for still being a high school senior, it was impressive. He made some really good throws, put the ball in a good spot, made some throws that he's gonna have to learn from. Obviously just trusting progressions, some of the decisions, but that's all to be expected in the first scrimmage. For him to come out and operate the way that he did, very intelligent and the composure that he brought to the field was something that I was impressed with."

(How Jordan handled a scrimmage where he wasn't playing) "Jordan was there on the sideline. I wanted to have him in a position where he got a chance to talk with those quarterbacks about what he was seeing, what they were doing, to be able to encourage others. You want everybody to always be available. That is something we desire, but that's not always the reality. You've got to have an opportunity to go out there and compete with guys that could go. It was your time to go show up. We made Jordan unavailable today. He's been practicing at, I think, an elite level.throughout the first five practices. It was good for him to get a little bit different perspective. It was good to see those other guys get between 30 and 40 reps apiece. It was good. The guys around you, it doesn't really matter who's taking the snap, you'd better go out there and play your best. That's the challenge that is put in front and what we did."

(Freshman WRs in today's scrimmage) "They were good. Dre (Vandrevius Jacobs) made some big plays, scored a touchdown, had a couple of explosive (plays) that showed up. He still has some things he's got to continue to improve upon, but it's definitely not too big for him. I love his playmaking ability, the way he competes...He's what we thought we were getting and we thought we were getting one of the best receivers in the country. I think he's going to have a chance to be a really, really special player as his career progresses. What that looks like right now is going to be based on what he does, but I'm definitely excited about that. Hykeem made a few early plays, which was good to see. Just the consistency of all things. Dre, Hykeem, basically any one of the 19 newcomers, they're all learning on the run. Especially the 10 guys coming from high school, it's all new to them. But (Hykeem) definitely shows the ability, he shows the want-to. He's got a great work ethic, a very smart young man. I'm excited about both those guys and what their future is going to be."

(Secondary performance in scrimmage) "That is a confident group. A lot of guys that have played at a high level for us, but then you also trying to have them move around a little bit. With Kevin Knowlees being out for the spring, I think one of the guys that's been one of the early stars of spring has been Greedy Vance. He's played at a very high level. We're also giving him different looks. We're putting him at nickel some, he's playing corner some. Jarrian Jones, Renardo Green, Azareye'h (Thomas), all those guys were able to move around and just try different sequences, whether it's nickel corner, field, boundary. It's a good group. We're really pleased with the way that our safeties are elevating their game. Omarion Cooper has done a really nice job in his transition. I think he's building his confidence. I really like what I see there. Shyheim Brown was back as much as he's been available here this spring. KJ Kirkland is another newcomer that I really like a lot. Quindarrius Jones is another. Both of those guys, we're very excited about what they;ve shown in six practices. I think they've got really bright futures. Fentrell (Cypress) has been a great addition for our team, the competition, the mindset. He's a talented young man, made some good plays today, too. All in all, it was a really good performance by the defensive backfield, but still some things that we're going to have to continue to work on. Overall communication as those guys are in different places."

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