There's plenty to learn, but FSU's linebackers showing their development
Justin Cryer admitted after Friday’s practice that he wasn’t as confident a year ago in his transition from high school football to Northwestern and then Florida State. He tried to convince the media that it was smooth, but the reality was far from it.
Blake Nichelson had the benefit of arriving a few months earlier but was still treading water in the deep end and was primarily a running back who played some defense in high school. Nichelson was on the field last fall for 101 defensive plays, while Cryer was in on 82 plays, according to Pro Football Focus.
Nichelson said the experience gave him a better feel for the game.
“Last year, I was out there, I’m looking up, everything is so brand new to me,” Nichelson said. “I’m not used to the feeling of being out there. I feel like after having a year of experience under my belt, it doesn’t really affect me.”
Learning in the film room, watching Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune and all of the practice reps are paying off. Just over 12 months later, Cryer is among the new guys who have soaked up the Seminoles’ defensive scheme and are vying for playing time in a new-look linebacker room.
“Now my confidence in myself and the scheme that we have here and the teammates is second to none,” Cryer said. “I think that’s a testament to the kind of guys we had last year, the older guys we had and (D.J.) Lundy coming back this year, that leadership that we had is kind of translating over.”
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With DeLoach and Bethune moving on to the NFL, this was set to be a transition offseason at linebacker. FSU had Cryer, Nichelson and DeMarco Ward returning for year 2 as well as Lundy and redshirt sophomore Omar Graham Jr. The Seminoles brought in transfers Shawn Murphy (Alabama) in the spring and Cam Riley (Auburn) this summer, adding valuable playing experience to a relatively inexperienced room that also added freshmen Jayden Parrish and Timir Hickman-Collins.
Riley has without question stood out as it’s hard to miss his 6-foot-4 frame, range and speed. But it’s also been clear that Nichelson and Cryer in particular have settled in with their understanding of the scheme. The linebackers' improvement has been evident and was among the Osceola staff's biggest positives through eight practices.
“They don’t make the same mistakes they made last year,” linebackers coach Randy Shannon said. “They’re communicating now. Last year they didn’t communicate as much.”
The first true test of the preseason came under the lights on Saturday night as FSU’s coaches got an extended look at now just how the linebackers look in 11-on-11 but in a scrimmage where there’s more tackling than thudding. Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller mentioned "sloppy" tackling a few times after Saturday's scrimmage, but he also reminded that defenses get few opportunities in the preseason to tackle an offensive player to the ground.
FSU coach Mike Norvell and Fuller emphasized this scrimmage was one where they weren't as concerned about seeing starters taking significant reps, but instead Saturday was a night to get younger players and transfers time on the field and under the lights at Doak. Cryer and Nichelson were among those who got extensive reps, Fuller said.
"Excited about the group," Fuller said of the linebackers. "I think they've all got a chance. I think we'll be deeper, but we got to continue to push the high-level play out of that group."
After a day off on Sunday, the Seminoles will return to the field Monday — a practice that for now is on but could be impacted by Hurricane Debby — and Tuesday in Tallahassee. Then it's a two-day trip to practice in Jacksonville and the learning process will continue.
Part of that learning is both linebackers’ responsibilities in the Seminoles’ 4-2-5 defense as well as what the scheme looks like when they go to three linebackers. Shannon opened his remarks on Friday by emphasizing how important the cross training was for each linebacker. The goal is to find the two best linebackers and not necessarily the best inside linebacker and best outside linebacker, Shannon said.
Nichelson doesn't think there is much of a difference in what he called a linebacker taking on field or boundary responsibilities, perhaps just different techniques.
“The one thing we can not do is stereotype anybody and just say, ‘This is the position you’re going to play,’ ” Shannon said.
Regardless of who is starting and in the rotation at linebacker, there will be questions about the stability of the room now that DeLoach and Bethune are gone. With Riley's impressive start to camp and the development of the younger linebackers, those concerns are somewhat diminished although it's going to be a question mark until the Seminoles take the field on Aug. 24 against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.
Cryer said he is well aware of the criticism of the linebacker group on social media but has been outspoken about telling his teammates to ignore it.
“It’s definitely disheartening to see some of the stuff we see on social media,” Cryer said. “I’ve been a big advocate of I just block out the noise. … It’s not our program. It’s not for us to deal with. We just got to go out there and play, just prove people wrong.”
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